GRAND RAPIDS – After years of staying behind the scenes as a supplier to the office furniture industry, Studio Z is becoming more visible and seeking out dynamic partnerships.

Studio Z Founder and Design Director Anna Zaharakos said her company has changed direction after reevaluating and making some adjustments due to the downturn in the office furniture industry several years ago.

The company’s Jacqform woven textile technology – a trademarked process minimizing sewing and creating resilient, tightly woven textile parts with built-in seams – allows patterned fabrics to wrap around a chair or furniture frame and maintain perfect registration.

In a unique collaboration with Spring Lake-based izzydesign, Studio Z created izzyCritters pillows featuring Puck the African Penguin and Penelope the Giant Panda.

"Good things have come out of some lean, difficult years and given us the inspiration to pursue ideas we’ve had for a while,’ Zaharakos told MiBiz. She describes her group of designers as technical artists with a unique combination of skills – integrators of materials and technology.

NORTON SHORES — According to DynaCon General Manager/Owner Jill Batka, the company’s new line of conveyor system offers customers a more dependable, lower-cost way of keeping parts moving.

"It came about through a partnership with our belting supplier. They developed a very innovative belt that fits a need and is an improved solution to a need for the packaging industry," Batka told MiBiz.

DynaCon manufactures modular conveyors with components made primarily with high-impact plastic. The conveyors are suitable for many applications, including assembly, plastics, packaging, clean room and electronics. The conveyor systems at DynaCon can be reconfigured – taken apart and built into something different.

That is what sets the Norton Shores-based firm’s products apart from other conveyor systems in the marketplace, according to Batka. Over time company needs can change, and DynaCon’s components, which interlock and snap together, can help provide business solutions. The light- to medium-duty systems are an alternative to steel systems that are static and inflexible and prone to rust. Customers purchase only the modular parts they need.

GRAND HAVEN – Dake, part of Grand Haven-based JSJ Corp., and one of the oldest manufacturers in Michigan, recently celebrated its 120th anniversary. That’s quite an accomplishment, considering that the tool-and-die industry has gone through major re-alignment in recent years.

Having started as an auditor at Dake in 1993, Lisa Van Schelven, now the company’s general manager, watched as many other manufacturers have had to reduce their workforce or close their doors. Dake has had to do neither. The company has slightly fewer than 60 employees, and it has maintained that level of employment for the past 10 years.

So how does Dake do it? Van Schelven, credits part of their success to being able to reinvent themselves. "Dake started out as a company that made steam engines," she said. "From the very beginning, we were about inventing and creating new products."

BYRON CENTER — Fabory North America’s CEO Vicky Black believes the company – a full-service provider of fasteners and related hardware – is one that clients can depend on.

"We are a very strong global organization," Black told MiBiz.

Founded in 1947 in Tilsburg, The Netherlands, Fabory is the market leader in producing high-quality nuts, bolts and other fastener products as well as fastening systems and fastening equipment. These are crucial to industries such as machine building, metal products and electrical appliance production as well as the automotive and furniture industries in Michigan. The North American headquarters is one of over 85 branches in 14 countries that serve over 120,000 customers worldwide.

Renowned for its fasteners, Fabory has also made a name for itself by providing high-quality customer service as well. The company has fastening experts who confer with companies on a variety of issues, from securing and assembly to corrosion prevention and fixings.