Case study

How a third-generation manufacturer consolidated operations and found a banking relationship worth renewing.

How relationships helped a family manufacturer consolidate, modernize, and grow.

Featuring Melissa Sims, Accounting and Sales Manager, Hoosier, Inc.

Executive snapshot

Company: Hoosier, Inc.
Industry: Precision machining and manufacturing
Primary challenge: Funding a major three-year operational consolidation while modernizing financial tools and maintaining client relationships
Business age: 47 years 3rd generation
Aion solution: Multi-million-dollar working capital, term financing, business banking, high-yield accounts, digital payments, and ERP-compatible financial operations.
Key outcomes: Consolidation completed, clean room built in-house, financial operations modernized, and a two-year renewal signed on the strength of the relationship alone.

Chapter 01

Started in a garage and still going after 47 years.

Forty-seven years ago, the woman who would become Hoosier's founder was told by her bosses and colleagues that a woman could not succeed in manufacturing. She started a machine shop in her garage anyway.

Today, Hoosier, Inc. is a precision machining and manufacturing company in its third generation of family ownership, serving clients across industries from medical devices to aerospace and automotive manufacturing. Some of the employees who have been there since near the beginning are only now retiring, after 30 and 40 years on the floor.

For a company built on that kind of longevity, the decision of who to trust with its financial operations is not taken lightly. Relationships are not a brand value at Hoosier, they are how the business has always worked.

In 47 years of being in business, we have never had a banking relationship like Aion.
— Melissa Sims, Accounting and Sales Manager, Hoosier, Inc.

Chapter 02

A three-year consolidation that required a financial partner, not just a lender.

A few years ago, Hoosier took on one of the biggest projects in the company's history: consolidating multiple manufacturing facilities into a single operation while continuing to serve clients and grow. The effort included bringing locations together, building a clean room environment that had previously required sending work out every day, investing in new capabilities, and modernizing operations across the board.

Three years is a long time to have capital tied up in a consolidation project. And like most manufacturers, Hoosier needed a financial partner who could move with the business through that period, not a lender who would show up for the easy parts and disappear when things got complicated. Aion provided the working capital and term financing that let Hoosier see the consolidation through.

We could not have done the consolidation without the Aion team. Aion really stepped up to the plate and helped us.
— Melissa Sims, Accounting and Sales Manager, Hoosier, Inc.

The clean room that Hoosier built during the consolidation is now fully in-house. Work that used to leave the building every day now stays there. That is a permanent operational improvement, and it happened because the capital was available when it needed to be.

Chapter 03

The solution: there when it was hard, not just when it was easy.

The consolidation was not the only test. At one point during the relationship, one of Hoosier's largest clients, a major aerospace company, needed to defer its payments for a couple of months. For a small manufacturer managing a capital-intensive consolidation project at the same time, that kind of gap can create serious strain. Aion was there — the team understood what was happening, stayed with Hoosier through the deferral period, and helped bridge the gap until the aerospace payments resumed.

They are always supportive of us. They always seem to step up to the plate when you need them.
— Melissa Sims, Accounting and Sales Manager, Hoosier, Inc.

Most lenders perform well when everything is going smoothly. The ones worth keeping are the ones that show up when it is not.

Chapter 04

Why Hoosier renewed for two years, and why it had nothing to do with the rate.

Hoosier signed a two-year renewal with Aion, but not because of a discounted rate or a promotional offer. Hoosier signed because of the people.

You could give me the best interest rate discount. You could throw it all on. You could do whatever. If I did not have the relationship like I do with all of them, I may not have signed. The relationship comes first.
— Melissa Sims, Accounting and Sales Manager, Hoosier, Inc.

For a company where 30 and 40-year tenures are normal, that is not a surprising priority. Hoosier puts people first with its employees, its clients, and its suppliers. It looks for the same from the partners it works with.

The Aion team picks up the phone. Emails get answered. When Melissa had a difficult week and needed to reschedule a call last minute, Aion rearranged it without a second thought. That is what the relationship looks like in practice.

I want to know I can pick up the phone and get help right away. Relationships matter. People matter. And Aion put their relationships first.
— Melissa Sims, Accounting and Sales Manager, Hoosier, Inc.

Chapter 05

Banking that does not turn off at 4 PM.

Manufacturing does not run on banking hours. Production schedules, client emergencies, and financial decisions do not stop when a branch closes for the day. For years, that mismatch was just an accepted friction of running a scaling manufacturing business.

Aion removed it. Melissa can initiate an ACH or wire from her phone between appointments. She does not need to be at her desk. She does not need a physical hardware token. She checks balances, moves money, and manages the account from wherever she is, whenever she needs to.

Aion really never turns it off like some banks turn it off. [Typical] banks close at 4. And the flexibility that comes along with that, when you have customer service questions, that is a huge sense of security and peace.
— Melissa Sims, Accounting and Sales Manager, Hoosier, Inc.

Aion's accessibility is not just a convenience for Melissa. It is part of what makes Hoosier's financial operations work given the pace the business operates at.

Chapter 06

From collateral upload to one-stop shop.

The relationship between Hoosier and Aion did not start where it is today. Hoosier initially used the platform primarily to upload collateral and move funds to an external account. From there, the relationship expanded in step with what the business needed: a term loan when the consolidation required it, debit cards, a high-yield account set up in under five minutes during a walkthrough with the Aion client service team, wire limit adjustments to accommodate new payment workflows, and an ERP integration on the horizon as Hoosier transitions to a new system compatible with QuickBooks.

Aion is becoming my one-stop shop. There are still some things I cannot control, but my collateral is through there, my term loan is through there, my checking accounts are in there, I set up the high-yield today. Why would you want to leave?
— Melissa Sims, Accounting and Sales Manager, Hoosier, Inc.

Results

Consolidation completed, operations modernized, partnership renewed.

3 years

Facility consolidation completed

Multiple locations brought into a single, modernized operation.

1 clean room

Built fully in-house

Eliminated the need to send specialized work out daily.

2 years

Renewal signed

The relationship was the deciding factor, not the rate.

47 years

In business, 3rd generation

Financial operations modernized end to end during that time.

The platform is expanding to include ERP integration and credit card processing, with Hoosier on track to consolidate even more of its financial operations through Aion through 2026 and beyond.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about banking and working capital for family-owned manufacturers.

Why do family-owned manufacturers need a financial partner rather than just a lender?

Family-owned manufacturers often make long-term decisions that do not fit neatly into standard underwriting models. They need a financial partner who understands how their business actually operates, stays with them through difficult periods, and can adapt as the business grows and changes. A lender that shows up only when conditions are favorable is not enough for a business built on decades of relationships.

How can manufacturers fund a facility consolidation or expansion?

Many manufacturers use a combination of working capital facilities and term financing to fund consolidation projects, facility upgrades, and capability investments. The right structure depends on the timeline and capital needs of the project, but having access to both revolving credit and term financing from a single partner simplifies the process significantly.

What should a family-owned manufacturer look for in a banking partner?

Beyond rates and terms, family-owned manufacturers benefit most from a banking partner that understands their business, responds quickly, and is available when decisions need to be made, not just during branch hours. The ability to manage accounts, initiate wires, and move funds remotely, without hardware tokens or branch visits, matters as much as the credit product for a business that does not stop at 4 PM.

How is relationship banking different from traditional banking for manufacturers?

Relationship banking means the team on the other end of the phone knows your business, understands your clients and your cash flow cycle, and can make flexible decisions when something unexpected happens. Traditional banks tend to work from a standard product menu and may not have the flexibility to adapt when a large client defers a payment or a consolidation project runs longer than planned.

Does accessing Aion's line of credit require moving business banking to Aion?

Yes. Aion's credit and banking are integrated by design, and accessing the line of credit requires moving primary banking to Aion's platform. For manufacturers like Hoosier, this has meant consolidating working capital, term financing, checking accounts, payments, and financial visibility into one system rather than managing multiple banking relationships simultaneously.

Can a business line of credit support long-term growth investments for a manufacturer?

Yes. Manufacturers use revolving lines of credit and term financing to fund facility consolidations, clean room builds, equipment purchases, capability investments, and other capital projects that support long-term growth. The key is having a credit facility that can flex with the business through the project period rather than requiring a new application every time the capital need changes.