“Most people in Minnesota don’t know who Donaldson is,” says Becky Cahn, corporate communications manager of Donaldson Company, Inc., a manufacturer of air and liquid filtration systems based in Bloomington. She laughs and adds, “Many people still think we’re a clothing company.”
Perhaps the company remains outside local recognition because it continues to diversify its operations globally, focusing largely on geographic expansion in its air and liquid filtration systems, along with its replacement parts business. For the third straight year, more than half of Donaldson’s $1.7 billion revenue came from outside North American countries in 2006. That revenue trend is unlikely to change.
Donaldson recently expanded its distribution center in Rensselaer, Indiana, but more key might be the expansion of its distribution center in Bruges, Belgium, and its manufacturing and distribution capacity in Johannesburg, South Africa, and Aguascalientes, Mexico.
“We want to support our global customers locally,” Cahn says. “For example, if Caterpillar is moving somewhere, then more than likely we’re going to move there.” She believes that moves like this are essential.
“It’s not something you can sit around and wait on,” Cahn says. “In order to stay market competitive on a worldwide basis, you have to be ready to expand.”
Donaldson employs more than 12,000 people worldwide.
