Manufacturer of the Year Finalists – Mid-sized

(50–125 employees)

On Oct 2, 2017

California Closets North Jersey

California Closets is known for its range of residential custom closets and closet organizers and storage systems. The family-run California Closets North Jersey franchise has been manufacturing custom storage solutions in its Fairfield facility for more than three decades. Its sales have doubled in the last three years.

From the outset, the company’s priority has been to meet customers’ needs by providing personalized service to develop custom storage solutions through consultants at its showrooms in Fairfield, Bernardsville and Ridgewood or through in-home visits. Installations are by California Closets technicians.

California Closets North Jersey also is active in the business community. It hosts monthly meetings of the B.I.G. (Believe Inspire Grow) women’s entrepreneur networking group, is a member of several professional organizations, and supports its colleagues by helping other California Closet franchises with their manufacturing.

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Demountable Concepts, Inc. (DCI)

Since 1989, Demountable Concepts, Inc. (DCI) has been at the vanguard of the transportation manufacturing industry and has become North America’s leading manufacturer of demountable swap-body and glass rack systems and trailers. With DCI’s 2-in-1 platform, companies can use different body styles with the same cab chassis, enabling them to load and deliver at the same time instead of needing two separate trucks. MyGlassTruck.com manufactures aluminum and steel glass carrying racks for vans, pick-ups and larger trucks used by glaziers and marble/granite installers. DCI’s state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Glassboro covers 50,000 square feet over its 25-acre campus and employs 85 individuals.

As a result of DCI’s innovation and growth, the company needs more space and has submitted a preliminary site plan to develop 16 acres in Glassboro’s Office Park redevelopment zone for an additional 80,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity.

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Norwalt Design Inc. 

Since 1971, Norwalt Design Inc. has been a preferred resource for the design and build of high-speed automation machinery for the consumer goods and pharmaceutical industries. The company’s willingness to address often difficult automation problems with innovative custom solutions and push equipment speeds to ever-higher levels has resulted in a roster of long-time customers who are leading plastic injection molders and packagers of food, pharmaceutical, personal care products, and household products. With its US office in Randolph and an Asian sales and service center in Taiwan, Norwalt’s customers include Fortune 500 companies in the US and abroad. Norwalt machines are installed in more than 18 countries and plans call for expansion to additional markets.

Norwalt enjoys the stability and dedication of a family-owned company, characteristics which are similarly extended to its family of customers and vendors.

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NWL

Founded in 1964 and based in Bordentown, NWL is a leading manufacturer and designer and is one of the world’s largest independent suppliers of transformers, capacitors and power supplies for demanding industrial, military and research customers.

The company was founded in the 1930s by John Nothelfer as a transformer repair shop; Nothelfer Winding Laboratories (NWL). When Nothelfer retired, he sold the company to a group of 13 employees led by then vice president Jim Seitz. The company remains employee owned and is led by Seitz’s two sons. Corporate leadership is responsible for ensuring that NWL’s goals of quality products, satisfied customers and knowledgeable, happy employees are met. With manufacturing plants in New Jersey, Florida, North Carolina, and South Korea, NWL has a roster of longstanding customers who rely on NWL to provide outstanding solutions to their power conversion needs.

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UNEX

UNEX is a family-owned business and industry leader in providing innovative order picking solutions that maximize space usage, increase pick rates and improve ergonomics at the point of pick in warehouses and distribution centers. UNEX “Pickologists” are experts in designing where inventory needs to be placed to speed and increase the efficiency of its retrieval – to increase productivity, move product more quickly, meet customer delivery demand, and, ultimately, maximize profits.

Founded in 1964 by engineer Frank Neuwirth, UNEX transformed the distribution marketplace with the first cable-driven live roller conveyor. By investing heavily in developing new products to constantly improve order picking for its distribution, manufacturing and transportation clients, UNEX has grown steadily and to ever-larger manufacturing facilities, always in New Jersey – from a Fairfield garage to Toms River in 1973, to Jackson in 1977, and to Lakewood in 2015.

 

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