Manufacturer of the Year Finalists – Large

(125 employees or more)

On Oct 2, 2017

Kreisler

Based in Elmwood Park, Kreisler has been manufacturing aircraft engine parts in New Jersey for more than 60 years. To protect the company and its employees from the economic cycles that invariably occur and maintain sales against off-shore competitors, Kreisler is executing a strategy that includes vertical integration, investing in technology, including laser cutting, 3-D printing and 5-axis machining, and is expanding into more complex and value-added product lines.

While already fostering an environment of communication and idea-sharing, Kreisler also has made organizational changes to better serve its customers and improve its quality and delivery performance. The most significant change has been the creation of its Office of Continuous Improvement. OCI’s goal is to identify quality and productivity issues by analyzing production data and facilitate the actions necessary to address issues and ultimately improve Kreisler’s profitability.

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GGB Bearing Technology

GGB Bearing Technology’s history dates back to a London company founded in 1899 to produce bearings for grease or oil lubricated applications. Today, GGB Bearing is the global leader in high performance bearing solutions, with eight facilities in the US, Germany, France, Brazil, Slovakia and China. The North American operations are located in Thorofare: one produces US industry standard bearings for the automotive, general industrial and aerospace markets; the other produces fiber-reinforced composite US bearings, bushing blocks and high-precision assemblies for the agricultural, construction and marine markets.

In 2016, GGB achieved outstanding results despite a decrease in sales. Through one new management initiative, ROPE (Remove Obstacles and Promote Engagement), teams comprised of representatives from every part of the business collaborate to make decisions and resolve business issues and challenge one another to think differently to improve the business.

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Tropical Cheese Industries

A family-owned and operated business, Tropical Cheese Industries established its Perth Amboy headquarters in 1983. Since then, Tropical has grown and expanded into new cities and territories throughout the US, Caribbean, Central and South America, and Europe. It is proud to be one of the leading producers and distributors of Latino-targeted dairy products in the US because of the company’s attention to detail and authenticity. Tropical uses the finest natural ingredients and employs award-winning cheese makers from around the world who have developed their craft over generations.

Over the past three years, Tropical has increased sales by over 8 percent and anticipates continued growth and profitability as a result of the launch of several new products. Tropical Cheese sells its products through Target, Walmart, Stop & Shop and Costco and prides itself on its on-time delivery, customer service and competitive pricing.

 

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