Three employees of a large radiator manufacturing company started MKC Inc, dba Precision Metal Works (PMW) when the radiator company decided to close their Maquoketa plant. MKC Inc. was Incorporated on March 1, 1983. The founders were Bud McKinsey (Purchasing & Sales), Dave Knoebel (Production) and Jesse Cram (Engineering & Maintenance).

In the beginning, PMW made automotive lifts for an automotive aftermarket supplier in Marion, Iowa. PMW also designed and built their first parts washer for the automotive after-market rebuilders in 1983.

PMW added our first building addition in 1985 adding 5,000 sq ft to our original 7,200 sq ft building effectively doubling our production floorspace.

Business was also supplemented by other contract manufacturing such as auto car wash vacuums and other parts for the car wash market along with component parts for high pressure washers and commercial meat smokers, nuclear waste containers and bomb racks for the Navy.

In 1987 we built a 10,000 sq ft finishing, assembly, and testing facility across the street from our main fabrication and office building.

PMW begins marketing Automotive Lifts and Automotive Parts Washers under our own name.

A fire destroyed the fabrication facility and office (now the office and front parking lot) of PMW on October 1, 1989. In addition, two major customers experienced financial problems and left PMW with a large amount of bad dept.

Days after the fire the PMW team scrambled to find used equipment and existing building space to keep production interruption to a minimum.

PMW began cleaning up and rebuilding almost immediately. By December of 1989 we had constructed a 5,000 sq ft building on part of the original site (now part of our main office) and by January of 1990 we were constructing a 17,000 sq ft expansion to our assembly building. This expansion would become our main fabrication area.

Summer of 1990 saw the construction of a 2,000 sq ft office area attached to the reconstructed building on the original site.

Due to Bud McKinsey’s failing health, his stock was bought out in 1991. Dave Knoebel and Jesse Cram continued with PMW.

During the early 1990’s PMW’s growth was primarily from sales of automotive lifts and parts washing equipment for the automotive rebuilding industry.