Call 503.474.6814 - Email us

 

World Class Technology: Better Technology for Better Health

World Class Technology specializes in Metal Injection Molding. Learn why the company moved to McMinnville and how they have found success here through their customized process and products. 

Inside World Class Technology Corporations Manufacturing Plant
Inside World Class Technology Corporations Manufacturing Plant

Resources Used by World Class Technology:

  • McMinnville Economic Development Partnership

Company Stats:

  • 152 Employees (2017)
  • MEDP Manufacturing Leader of the Year (2015)
  • MEDP Manufacturer of the Year (2010)

Quality, Custom, Metal-Injected Parts:

At the World Class Technology (WCT) Corporation's manufacturing plant in McMinnville, Oregon, it all comes down to one simple concept: a better product will encourage and help improve the health of the people who use it. With leading edge technology, WCT is a vanguard in creating the best possible products for their customers. With the use of Metal Injection Molding (MIM), the company has been at the forefront of creating quality and custom metal injected parts for customers around the world. 

Starting in 1963, founder of WCT, Klaus Hagelganz, began experimenting and producing complex parts from a molding process in his California garage. In 1981, Klaus and his son, Rolf, had began creating their formula for MIM. By 1988, the company had moved their facility from the garage in California up to a barn along Highway 99 in McMinnville, Oregon. Director of Medical Product Development, Jeff Petcavich explains the move stating that the Hagelganz family chose Oregon and more specifically McMinnville because, "One, it's such a beautiful area. Two, they got water. Three, the property and land was more reasonable than California. And four, the price for utilities was the best they could find."


Left: Founder Klaus Hagelganz works to improve his process from MIM. Right: CEO Rolf Hagelganz reviews company details
Left: Founder Klaus Hagelganz works to improve his process from MIM. Right: CEO Rolf Hagelganz reviews company details

In 2004, WCT had found a niche in the orthodontics industry. To capitalize on their success the company created Ortho Classics, an orthodontics manufacturing and supply branch. The company's success in the orthodontic industry is due to the MIM process which according to WCT it: "allows for tighter tolerances than typically possible, with parts held at +/- 0.001"-0.002" per inch." With this in mind, the company can create orthodontic brackets for braces and other products with more accuracy and a more consistent quality than has ever been possible before. 

According to Petcavich: "80% or 90% of our business is orthodontic. The other 10%-15% of our business is contract manufacturing." Contract manufacturing refers to the company's ability to have an individual bring WCT a drawing of a product that they would like to be created through the MIM process. The company can tell the individual how much it would cost to make each part and can recreate the drawing the the individual's specfications and design, or more specifically, "their everything." 

Director of Medical Product Development, Jeff Petcavich stands in the WCT facility.
Director of Medical Product Development, Jeff Petcavich stands in the WCT facility.

Within the world of orthodontic equipment, WCT and Ortho Country has formed its own culture and excitement. Look at photos from trade shows and within the company and you will consistently see groups of people with four fingers in the air. The hand signal started with the H4 bracket line. According to Ortho Country's website, "The H4™ is a low-friction, light force orthodontic solution that delivers healthy tooth movement with optimal control." The use of smooth and rounded edges help create patient comfort while the technology the company uses helps make the brackets easier to open and close. According to Rolf, "You'll see all these people giving hand signals that means H4. You get a movement going and they get very loyal to that movement."

A group expresses their excitement about H4 by holding up the hand signal.
A group expresses their excitement about H4 by holding up the hand signal.

The company has a lot to be excited about. As Rolf states: "We are growing tremendously, this year I think we'll have about 28% growth. Next year we're on track for probably 32-34% growth." While these numbers seem large, they are consistent with how well the company has been producing within the past few years. "A few years ago we had about 60-70 employees, we are at 160 employees today."

With the increase of demand for products there is also a continual experimentation on just what MIM can help to improve. With other companies and organizations looking to utilize the technology, it's easy to believe that WCT will continue to see growth in the coming years. This growth will also create a higher demand for highly skilled workers. Luckily, states Rolf, it's easy to convince people to relocate to McMinnville: "I'm able to recruit here like I wasn't before. Everyone I've brought to a molding situation or a tooling situation, loves it here in McMinnville." 

 

Learn more about World Class Technology at www.worldclasstech.com

To read more see our newsletter:

MEDP Spark - The People Behind the Products

Subscribe

Subscribe to our blog to get latest news from McMinnville by email

MEDP's monthly newsletter, The MEDP Spark, received a Silver Award from the International Economic Development Council in 2017.

Connect with us

Web Design and Web Development by Buildable