Manufacturer of the Year Finalists – Small Business

(50 employees or less)

On Sep 29, 2016

Falstrom Company

Falstrom Company is an industry leader primarily serving US defense needs with custom-built, rugged enclosures and electronic assemblies. The company was founded in 1870 by Swedish craftsman Gustav Falstrom who established a metalworking shop in Passaic. Falstrom soon became a major New Jersey supplier of fabricated metal products including such items as skylights, metal roofing, cornices, leaders and gutters. The company has always been on the leading edge of technology implementation. It was among the first companies in the area to install a mechanical press brake for forming sheet metal parts. In the 1940s, it installed leading-edge resistance welding equipment. More recently, the company has begun migrating to a pulsed MIG welding technology, which provides the welder with a better flow of electricity and gas to join metals, and has just installed a fiber laser sheet metal cutting machine. The multi-generation family business, which employs a staff of 40, is headed by Cliff Lindholm, III, president and CEO.

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Imperial Machine & Tool Co.

Imperial Machine & Tool Co. is a state-of-the-art machining, fabricating, assembly and additive manufacturing company specializing in advanced manufacturing techniques. The Columbia-based company was founded by Michael Joest in 1943. While it provided materials and components for the war effort, the company worked closely with IBM throughout the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s on developing new systems and components to improve computer manufacturing. During this time, the company became the “go to” source for challenging applications. It developed novel methods of fabricating costly refractory metals such as titanium, tungsten and molybdenum. Michael’s son, George, joined the company in the 1950s. George’s son Christian and George, Jr. joined the company in the 1980s. These two men further developed and refined the company by focusing on advanced manufacturing solutions. As early adopters of CNC machining, EDM and precision-welding techniques, Imperial expanded its customer base throughout the semiconductor and other high-tech industries. It is a prime contractor for the US Department of Defense.

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PNC, Inc.

Established in 1968, Nutley-based PNC, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of circuit boards in the Northeast, concentrating on all three facets of production (design, fabrication and assembly). Its 50,000-square-foot facility is capable of processing over 1,500 20”x26” PWB or PCB panels per day. By adopting a “total concept” philosophy, the company is able to serve industries that are crucial to today’s global infrastructure, such as medical, defense, aerospace, microwave RF, automotive and communications. The company is ISO 9001-2008, MIL-PRF-31032, MIL-PRF-55110, and UL certified, ITAR Registered and a Minority-Owned Business. PNC, Inc.’s in-house assembly department is able to handle small- to medium-sized assembly runs. Planned expansions include two more fully equipped SMT lines. Once this is complete, the company will have the capabilities to undertake large, production-sized PCB assembly runs. The company, with 49 employees, boasts a 99.80 percent on-time record and less than 1.5 percent scrap rate.

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Royce Emporium Leather

Royce Emporium Leather specializes in handmade accessories for men and women. Its range of products includes wallets, card cases, travel accessories, bags and luggage. The Secaucus-based company was founded in 1974, but it traces its roots back to Vienna Austria, where Josef Bauer and his son, Eugene, operated a small artisanal workshop that would blossom into a full-fledged factory. Tragically, Josef would be sentenced to death in Auschwitz during the Nazi occupation. Eugene narrowly escaped to New York in 1944. He revived the family business with his son, Harold, who in 1974, formally took over the company, changing its name to “Emporium Leather” and adding the brand name “Royce.” Forty years later, Harold’s sons, William and Andrew Royce Bauer, carry on the family tradition. The company provides next-day shipping of its products to China, where it has a massively growing market, and sells its products at well-known department stores in the United Kingdom such as Harrods and Selfridges. The company employs 21 full-time workers at its location.

 

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