Dan Dralle - D&JD Partners - 2024 Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement
This article appeared in the Nov/Dec 2024 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.
Daniel Dralle has made a significant impact on the lives of countless people on five continents around the world, yet he remains down to earth when it comes to the success and well-being of the people in his life.
“Dan is a great leader because he’s got this internal compass that guides him on the right place to be at the right time but, at the same time, he brings others with him,” says JoAnn Crary, President and CEO of the Saginaw Future economic development organization.
Through more than 40 years of expertise within the automotive manufacturing sector, Dralle has demonstrated his commitment to the industry, his community and the welfare of others. Because of these career successes and admirable values, MMA is proud to honor him with the 2024 Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement Award.
Inspirational Leadership
Kevin Weber, Executive Director of the Steering Product Line at Nexteer, uses phrases including “inspirational leader,” “fair but firm,” “humble,” “good friend,” “role model” and “coach and mentor” to describe Dralle.
“With his vast knowledge and experience through operations, engineering and cost improvement, I don’t know of anyone who is more right for this award,” Weber says.
Still, Dralle says this award is not only for himself but for everyone who has worked at Nexteer (which spun off from Delphi in 1999) over the past 40 years — all of whom he considers family.
“I’ve referred to this place as a family business for a long, long time,” he says. “I’m first-generation here. My wife is second generation. We have children that work here.”
Dralle retired from Nexteer over the summer, when he held the role of Senior Executive Director of U.S. Government Affairs and Global Cost Improvement Process. He has founded his own company, D&JD Partners, with his wife, Jill (this year’s Manufacturing Woman of the Year).
But the Dralles have left a legacy at Nexteer that won’t be forgotten.
“They are the dynamic duo,” Crary said, through tears of pride and joy. “They’ve done so much for this region, and to keep the jobs and investment here in Saginaw County means the world to us.”
A Global Impact with Regional Benefits
Daniel Dralle’s work has spanned five continents and is highlighted by three significant international assignments, including the development of a plant in Brazil at the beginning of his career.
Weber says Dralle is like the glue that kept the company together, and he particularly recalls a challenging time when Dralle helped lead Nexteer in its evolution to electric power steering.
“It was a pivotal launch for our company and ended up being one of the most successful launches that we’ve had, which provided great profitability for the company,” Weber says, adding that Dralle has a knack for gaining customers’ trust and respect.
Crary recalls that when COVID-19 hit, Dralle stepped up to ensure that his team had PPE — and then used 3D printers to make face shields on site.
“He not only made them from this location, but he got their location in Poland to make them,” she says. “So that’s the kind of guy he is, and it was critically important at a time in our history that we needed leaders like that.”
As a company leader, Dralle also has reinforced the importance of training, particularly Dale Carnegie courses. As an additional way to coach his team, Dralle shared an insightful concept referred to as “rolling top five.”
“If you focus on the most important things first, just like in your personal life, you don’t focus on the trivial things,” Dralle explains. “If you do that — you do it with passion and take care of your people — that’s what makes a manufacturer successful.”
Crary says Dralle makes decisions that are best for long-term versus short-term gain and that he has led Nexteer through 40 years of ups and downs.
“He helped them go global but, at the same time, he always kept his eye on the ball and wanted jobs and investment here in Saginaw County,” Crary says.
As a reflection of this commitment to the community, Dralle has served on multiple boards, including the CMU Research Corporation, Saginaw Future, the Saginaw County Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturing Leadership Council and the Great Lakes Bay Alliance, as well as an advisory committee for the Bay-Arenac ISD Career Center. He also is very involved in career technical education programs for local students.
Throughout his 40-year career, Dralle made a significant impact on the industry, the community and his extended family — placing him on the MMA’s prestigious list of Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement Award recipients.
The Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement award is part of the annual Manufacturing Excellence Awards which celebrates the leaders and products that are pushing the industry forward. Learn more about the awards program and gala.
The 2024 Manufacturing Lifetime Achievement award was sponsored by Marsh & McLennan Agency. Visit online: www.marshmma.com/.