IMS USA produces and markets performance parts for use on Harley Davidson motorcycles. Established and run by company president Jim Thiessen, JIMS is one of those companies built on a passion for engineering, speed, quality and making Harley-Davidsons run better and go faster. The commitment by JIMS is total; they conceive research, develop, test, tool, produce, race and market everything in-house in the USA.
P     aul Platts, marketing director at JIMS, is one of a dedicated group of employees who has risen up within the company through hard work and talent. Drag Specialties had a chance to visit the JIMS USA facility in Camarillo, California, where we sat down with Paul and got the inside scoop on this great company.

     DS: “How did JIMS USA get started?”
     PP: “Jim grew up working in his dad’s machine shop, and became a machinist at an early age. 35 years ago, he decided to start JIMS Machining. He borrowed a little money and purchased a few manual mills and lathes, renting a small space in the back of a building in Camarillo, California. Through the years the business expanded its space ten-fold at the same location. Jim focused on aerospace quality machining, and in the beginning that’s the kind of work JIMS would do.
     He and his friends rode Harleys. They could see a need for quality American products. Jim started machining crank pins and sprocket shafts. Word got around, and a few distributors picked up the products. The rest is history.”

     DS: “How many employees work here now?”
     PP: “We have about 135 employees.”

     DS: “What is the ideal JIMS employee? Do you have a lot of enthusiasts working here?”
     PP: “JIMS employs many different people. Of course, we have a core group of people, most of which ride. In fact, this core group includes the president, controller, general manger, sales manager, marketing, etc…all of whom participate in test rides and are the first to validate JIMS products on the street. Overall, between 15%-20% of all employees ride motorcycles. It’s what we do.
     When it comes to an ideal employee, the most important part is pride in workmanship (which JIMS has a lot of). We care about the products we make, and an ideal JIMS employee focuses on what the customer wants, and quality in workmanship.”

     DS: “How many buildings are part of the operation?”
     PP: “We now occupy three full buildings, and partly occupy another two. Combined, we have approximately 75,000 square feet.”

     DS: “Tell us about the racing programs that JIMS is involved in.”
     PP: “JIMS is proud to be a sponsor of AHDRA Pro Fuel, as well as the title sponsor for the Las Vegas Nationals (a great event!). We sponsor over 35 individual race teams, as well as participate in everything from land speed to flat track.
     Over the past few years, we have launched a new race engine program called “Twin Cam Race Kits”. Basically it’s a complete engine that puts out approximately 120 hp/125 tq out of the box. There is material for larger bores, etc…basically it’s a starting block for high HP engines.”

This corner of a building on the lot of the current facility is where Thiessen started out 35 years ago.	Through the years the business has expanded into additional buildings to house the approximate 135 JIMS employees.
Marketing Director Paul Platts compares a finished JIMS transmission gear with the blank part.
Some companies have a few computerized machine tools. JIMS has a whole coordinated production line of CNC mills to produce its line of quality engine parts.
To stay in touch with the customers, Jim Thiessen personally works the JIMS booth at numerous trade shows and rallies.	Quality control is a top priority at JIMS. Parts are constantly pulled off the production line for QC checks.
A batch of JIMS transmission shafts at the final QC inspection station.	A crankshaft being prepared for assembly into a set of cases.
In the box and ready to ship!

     DS: “How does racing help the company?”
     PP: “Racing helps in many ways. Our products are pushed to the limits at the track, which is a virtual test bed. We have a good reputation at the track, which means our products hold up. We are continually testing new products through individual race teams.
     It’s also about the love of the sport. Jim is a drag racing enthusiast. Back in the day, he raced flat bottom boats and has been known to put the throttle down on anything, from a V-8 to a V-Twin.”

      DS: “It looks like JIMS goes to almost 20 trade shows every year, what kind of commitment does that involve in terms of equipment and manpower? And what are the benefits to the company that come from trade shows?”
     PP: “Shows are hard to gauge from a marketing perspective. Over the years, we’ve seen companies drop out of shows…most of the time, within a year or two…they’re trying to get back in (or they went out of business). Shows are part of this industry. It’s a way to receive customer feedback, get out and mingle with customers, show the customers that you are committed to the events and the lifestyle. It takes an immense amount of energy, money and support…but in the end, it’s well worth it.”

     DS: “Tell us about the process JIMS goes through to develop a new product and bring it to the market.”
     PP: “I could write a book here…normally, it takes at least a year to bring a product to market. From the start, product-planning meetings need to take place and make sure that R/D is focused in the right direction and on the right projects for JIMS. From there we build prototypes through the prototype department. Sometimes we rapid proto for fitment and application, and then machine–sometimes we simply go from solid modeling to a machined product.
     The prototypes are put into a multi-platform test plan. This could consist of internal dyno testing, internal durability testing and then road testing. Key employees get out on the road for days with high mileage goals. Sometimes we test in Arizona for heat, or up through Tahoe for cold. Recently we have started durability testing through independent labs that specialize in engine and transmission durability testing.”

     DS: “Our readers are always interested in quality control, what is the Q.C. process at JIMS?”
     PP: “QC is critical to JIMS. Our name has been built on reputation of quality. We have inspection departments in every building. CMM (Co-ordinate measuring machines) run automatic programs to verify parts are to print. Products have many operations to go through before they are complete. Each operation, be it a milling operation, lathe operation, hobbing, or whatever, go through a first article inspection. Some parts are all 100% inspected…for example, every single rocker arm is x-rayed, and Magnetic Particle inspected for quality control.”

     DS: “What are the best selling products? And what do you foresee as top new products coming from JIMS?”
     PP: “Our core products are engines and transmissions. We manufacture everything from 5- and 6-speed transmissions, to a new Right Side Drive. We even launched a completely new concept called the Fat 5 Overdrive which is a wider gear transmission for strength.”

     DS: “Here’s one we always like to ask…what are the benefits of working with Drag Specialties?”
     PP: “Drag Specialties is one of our best customers. As a manufacturer, we’ve seen Drag continue to grow due to their leadership and commitment to being the core supplier for the Harley-Davidson aftermarket. They continually expand and open new warehouses and make it easy for manufacturers to distribute their product i.nstantly to many dealers at once. The sales reps are well versed in the product line, and they all seem to love their job. Overall, there are many benefits in working with Drag.”

     DS: “Anything else you want to add, any statement you want to make, and any message you want to send?”
     PP: “BUY AMERICAN!”