Manufacturing entrepreneur: James W. Ake.

• Author: Johnson, J. Douglas
• Position: Indiana's Entrepreneurs of the Year

MANUFACTURING ENTREPRENEUR

James W. Ake

Electronic Liquid Fillers, Inc.

LaPorte

"ELF-made" may mean Keebler cookies to young kids, but to mature bottlers, those initials stand for a speedily growing manufacturer of custom packaging machinery. The company's "hollow tree" is a 30,000-square-foot factory in LaPorte. The name of a modest sign out in front is Electronic Liquid Fillers, Inc., and ELF chief is James W. Ake.

Ake got his idea in 1981 when he was managing a liquid packing plant that was a horror. Machines were overpriced, under efficient and unreliable. It took four months to have one installed, spare parts were costly and rare, and repair service was non-existent. To relieve the hassle, Ake shopped at his local hardware store and bought some parts. He made a stop at K mart for a plastic tank. Using his erector-set training, he built a charcoal lighter filler in his father-in-law's basement. It was crude but efficient. "Simple, but it worked," Ake recalls. It was also marketable to other bottlers who were disenchanted with current products.

At first, Ake was a reluctant manufacturer, until a customer twisted his arm and got him to set up two of his inventions in Chicago. They languished for a while, but when they finally caught on, business took off. Now, he has an operation in the United Kingdom and plans to establish one in Asia to sell and service his machines in the Far East. Annual revenue has passed $12 million and profits are in excess of 17 percent of sales after taxes. Some long term employees in a profit-sharing plan at year-end 1988 took home a bonus equal to better than I 0 months' extra pay.

Ake does business based...