Our ten divisions are autonomous businesses: each has its own president and management team, responsible for leading all aspects of business strategy, policy, and execution. Each division is free to do business without commercial limitation. Some of the largest customers of one ELLWOOD division are the largest competitors of another division. Each division is responsible for earning its own profit and internally generating free cash flow to fund capital improvements.
Despite the decentralized nature of our business, the work that each division undertakes requires a special brand of know-how. Metallurgical expertise is the common bond that ties our divisions together and ensures the highest quality products for our customers.
Being union-free has been a powerful advantage to ELLWOOD. Labor and management have been on the same team for over a century—with no union to come between us. We treat our team members with dignity and respect, dialogue together, and join with them in continuous improvement efforts. It is our goal as managers to keep labor unions unnecessary at ELLWOOD companies by providing good pay, benefits, and job security over the long term. Our team members have reciprocated this trust by their own free choice—and given our company a priceless strategic asset as a result.