Each week, The Columbian offers a brief snapshot of an interesting Clark County business. Send ideas to Mary Ricks: mary.ricks@columbian.com;
fax 360-735-4598;
phone 360-735-4550.
Business name: Delta Computer Systems Inc.
Co-owners: Peter Nachtwey, president, and Steven Nylund, chief executive officer.
Address: 1818 S.E. 17th St., Battle Ground.
What the business does: Delta Computer Systems Inc. designs, manufacturers and markets motion controllers, color sensors and specialized products for industrial applications. Delta’s main focus is fluid power motion control, used to precisely move heavy loads by computer control in sawmills, steel mills, and manufacturing plants around the world.
How has the economy affected your business: Since the wood products industry is one of Delta’s largest market segments, the 2009 recession took a big bite out of sales. The company was able to avoid layoffs and keep moving forward with product development. It focused on using sales and marketing to growing in new markets. The motion product sales have now recovered to pre-recession levels.
Greatest challenge: Nylund said continuing to expand globally is the company’s greatest challenge. About 42 percent of Delta’s motion controller sales are outside of the United States and he sees opportunities to significantly grow sales in a number of different countries, including China and Brazil. That entails learning about and overcoming language, cultural, and logistics barriers.
