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August 25, 2025
SHAWANO – JR Machine has acquired ETW Inc. – a Waukesha-based precision machining company – in a move that CEO Paul Knoll said expands the company’s advanced manufacturing capabilities and engineering services.
Shawano-based JR Machine, Knoll said, is a contract manufacturer of complex precision components for the space exploration and defense sectors.
Knoll said the acquisition, which was announced earlier this month, strengthens the company’s core capabilities in lathe and turning operations by adding advanced 5-axis milling, increasing both capacity and technical expertise for its customer base.
“We are excited to bring ETW onto the JR Machine precision machining team,” he said. “Adding ETW’s highly skilled team helps meet the growing needs of our customers, especially those in the space and defense industries. The highly specialized 5-axis milling work that ETW can do will be a great new service in our portfolio.”
New equipment to help boost efficiency, capabilities
Knoll said the acquisition is an integral part of JR Machine’s ongoing growth strategy and is supported by Schneider Resources Holding (SRH) – the family-owned, Green Bay-based investment firm dedicated to supporting Wisconsin-based manufacturing businesses.
JR Machine and SRH, he said, have invested in new technology as part of the acquisition, including a DMG MORI DMU 65 (FD) 5-axis milling center.
Knoll said this $1 million investment will significantly boost ETW Inc.’s milling capabilities and operational efficiency by helping the company’s skilled personnel improve accuracy and production times.
“The 5-axis equipment allows us, or anyone who buys it, to [manufacture] very complex parts that are difficult or not possible on other equipment,” he said. “So, it also allows you to [manufacture] a part… on a single machine, as opposed to potentially having to move that part to multiple machines. If you have to [manufacture] a part on multiple machines, it’s less efficient, as you would guess. It also creates some accuracy problems, so it’s difficult to do the part as well, if you have to move it.”
Knoll said the specialized equipment will also expand the company’s ability to manufacture more intricate parts for the industries it services, like rocket engine components for the space exploration sector.
“We’re able to do parts that only a very few shops in the entire country can do, and do well with this capability,” he said.
Investing in Wisconsin manufacturing
Knoll said ETW Inc. will continue to operate in Waukesha under its current name as a sister company to JR Machine, within the SRH portfolio.
Company officials said all employees will be retained, and the existing management team will remain in place.
Knoll said the integration will be supported by JR Machine’s leadership and a unified sales team, with the hope of providing a smooth transition and scalability across both organizations.
Wayne Lehman Jr., vice president of manufacturing and engineering at ETW Inc., said his family is excited to join with JR Machine to grow and meet customers’ needs.
“Adding the strength of Schneider Resources Holding will allow us to invest and grow to meet that demand,” he said. “Partnered with JR Machine and supported by SRH, we see incredible potential for our future.”
Per the acquisition announcement, the move aligns with SRH’s long-term vision to foster and sustain family-owned manufacturing operations in Wisconsin.
By supporting generational ownership and local leadership, Knoll said the goal of SRH is to enable high-performing manufacturers like JR Machine and ETW Inc. to serve global industries, while maintaining their roots in Wisconsin.
Knoll said SRH, led by Paul Schneider, wants to invest money in companies to grow Wisconsin manufacturing, without some of the negative aspects that can occur with a private equity company, where businesses are bought and then sold right away.
Instead, he said the goal is to invest in manufacturing companies so they can remain stable parts of the communities they’re in.
Knoll said ETW is a third-generation family company, and seven family members will be continuing in their roles, even though the ownership structure is new.
“We consider that a huge success, because they’re the folks [who] built it,” he said. “They know the customers, they know the magic of the business and having them excited about being part of the next generation for the company – at least – is great.”
Expanding throughout other sectors
As one of a few companies that specialize in super alloy manufacturing solutions, Knoll said the super alloys JR Machine works with are able to perform in extreme heat or cold.
The acquisition and the new investment in equipment, he said, have the potential to open doors for the future of JR Machine to expand further into other sectors where those types of parts are necessary.
“Other applications where people use complex parts that use these similar materials would be oil and gas… and then undersea… for marine applications… specifically oil and gas at the bottom of the ocean would be an example, because that’s a really difficult environment…,” he said. “Also, we do have one customer who’s in energy production, so it’s not necessarily [just] oil and gas, but alternative energy [as well].”
A skilled workforce makes it all possible
Founded in the early 1990s by Tim Tumanic, JR Machine has called Shawano – a town of more than 9,600 now – home for three decades.
Knoll said he looks forward to its additional growth into the future, made possible by its highly skilled and reliable workforce.
“I think the magic here is the really special people [who] have made this business what it is,” he said. “We have been here a long time… and you just can’t find that work ethic everywhere. I’ve run companies in a number of different cities… and this is absolutely the best work ethic I’ve ever seen.”
More details on the acquisition can be found at jrmachine.com.
