Urban Manufacturing - a community-based machining business serving customers in a variety of industries.

Urban Manufacturing's story began in 1978 when Alex Urbanchek, an engineer and Hungarian immigrant, purchased a used manual machine tool and started taking on part-time work machining prototypes and low volume work in his home garage. The company's very first customer was a company called RTE in 1978, and remarkably, Urban continues to manufacture quality parts for this company more than forty years later.

By 1982, Alex had transitioned to working full-time, building a community-based machining business that served customers across a variety of industries. The early success and growing demand led to a significant milestone: in 1988, Urban Manufacturing constructed its current facility in a western suburb of Milwaukee.

As the company's reputation for precision and quality grew, so did its client roster and capabilities. In 1985, Urban Manufacturing became a GE Certified Supplier, and by 2008, the company had earned the distinction of being named a GE Strategic Supplier, signifying its critical role in GE's manufacturing supply chain. This relationship was further recognized in 2014 when Urban Manufacturing achieved the coveted GE Supplier Excellence Award.

The company also became a Harley-Davidson Motor Company Tier One Supplier in 1997 and continues to serve their machining needs. This partnership with one of America's most iconic brands cemented Urban's position as a trusted precision manufacturing partner.

To accommodate increasing demand, the facility has undergone five expansions, with the most recent expansion completed in 2017, bringing the total production space to 93,000 square feet. In 2023, the company continued its growth trajectory by establishing Oliver Manufacturing, Inc., a newly formed subsidiary that moved into a former Pentair building in Brookfield adding an additional 85,000 sq ft of manufacturing floor to the Urban Umbrella.

Today, Urban Manufacturing has grown into a $50+ million enterprise that employs 160 experienced staff, including more than 20 journeymen machinists, who produce parts for GE Healthcare, GE Yokogawa, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Eaton, Smith's Medical, and many other major manufacturers.

From a single manual lathe to a state-of-the-art facility spanning multiple locations in the Milwaukee area, Urban Manufacturing's journey reflects a steadfast commitment to precision, innovation, and customer partnership that has defined the company for over four decades.