|
|
|
Forging Future Success From a Golden Past
Connecticut's metal manufacturers have seen tough times during the past decade.
Now they're proving their mettle by hammering out new growth strategies.
|
Business New Haven
1/7/2002
By: Priscilla Searles
|
Connecticut has a proud history in the metals industry. Pewter, silver and brass objects became some of Connecticut's best early products. Today there are 2,408 metal manufacturers in the state, employing 127,000 people. 352 companies are in Bridgeport, 861 in Hartford, 356 in New Haven and 289 are based in Waterbury. A number of Connecticut cities became know around the globe for their metal products. Meriden was recognized as the “Silver City.” Waterbury became the nation's leader in brass manufacturing, calling itself the “brass center of the world.”
There are many different types of metal companies throughout the state. Over the decades, and even the centuries Connecticut has been home to manufacturers of silver and pewter items, brass of all descriptions, wire, steel products, and machine tools for the metal industry. The list is long and the companies are diverse, but today the remaining metals manufacturers have one thing in common-the will to survive.
One of the early metals masters of Meriden was Samuel Yale, who produced cut nails and buttons made of pewter. Another was Patrick Clark who manufactured tin ware. Meriden's silver industry began in the 1850's when several small companies joined forces to form the Meriden Britannia Co. The International Silver Company was formed in 1898 when 14 companies merged, principally Meriden Britannia and Rogers Brothers of Hartford. Today both International Silver and Wallace Silversmiths are part of the Syratech Corporation.
One surprising fact in Connecticut's metal history is the state's abundance of natural mineral resources. Prior to the American Revolution, Connecticut ranked either first or second of the 13 colonies in the production of strategic metals vital to the self-sufficiency of the colonies. Deposits of ores containing lead, zinc, copper, silver and bismuth could be found in Connecticut. Copper mines were found in a number of locations.
The Naugatuck Valley area became the center of brass production in the United States because of the localization of metalworking pioneers in that area, the Naugatuck River as a power source and access to the New York market. Two early metal working pioneers were William and Edward Pattison, skilled tinsmiths who began manufacturing tin ware in Connecticut in 1746 at a time when tin ware was virtually unknown in the United States. The two men produced plates, utensils, mugs and pans, selling their wares town to town, eventually hiring peddlers to do the selling while they did the production, laying the foundation for metal plants of the future.
One company in the metals industry that has managed to survive decades, although not without problems, is Boardman Silversmiths Inc. of Meriden. Founded in the 18th century, Boardman has been in the family for eight generations. In 1986 the company, then called J.C. Boardman Co. (located in Wallingford) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company moved to the Meriden Enterprise Center in 1996 and continues to thrive, recently producing 14 Indianapolis 500 Series Trophies for the May, 2002 race.
The Waterbury Button Co. was founded in 1812 and continues to produce buttons. Early craftsmen engraved with tools no larger than toothpicks and designed intricate buttons with hand-tool dies. Today computer-aided design and technology reduces tooling time for a new design to two to three days. Over the years the company has amassed approximately 40,000 different button dies. Constantly looking for ways to stay on top of new technology, over the decades the company has produced everything from vinyl records to bomb fuses to toys. In 2000 the button business of the Waterbury Companies was purchased by OGS Technologies Inc., which readopted the name Waterbury Button Co.
Early pewter makers have disappeared from the Connecticut scene but Woodbury Pewter, formed in 1952, is still handcrafted, maintaining the standards set in Connecticut decades ago. Family-owned and operated, the company was founded by Ruth Holbrook and Lee R. Titcomb in a small blacksmith shop in the center of town. Today thousands visit the company's modern shop and plant, located on Main Street, each year.
Some manufacturers have come to the realization that survival requires a group effort. The Metals Manufacturing Cluster was formed in the summer of 2000 to increase the competitiveness of Connecticut's metal manufacturing companies. The cluster includes such industries as fabricated metals, electronic components, machine tools, plating and polishing. Overseen by Metal Manufacturing Education and Training Alliance (META), its 11 member companies are working together to prepare workers for a faster-paced, technology-dependent work environment. This involves upgrading their technological capacity and adopting leaner manufacturing processes. The alliance also functions as a network for pursuing joint contracts with large companies. Kevin Nunn, president of the Bridgeport Economic Resource Center, organized the cluster of companies, obtaining a grant from the State of Connecticut for $125,000.
Michael McCarthy, program manager for META, coming to the cluster with experience in federal grant management, program design, research, evaluation and employment training, believes that helping workers upgrade their skills is critical to the success of manufacturing in general. “META recently received a $1.7 million federal workforce training grant for a two-year project to provide a range of training in new workplace technologies and manufacturing processes. Under META,” said McCarthy, “the cluster will continue to work with its employer partners, the state of Connecticut and the workforce development community to develop, implement and sustain an innovative, flexible system to train targeted incumbent/dislocated workers in developing a competitive metal manufacturing workforce in Connecticut. Out mission is to use collaboration to position metal manufacturers in Connecticut to be at the forefront of their industry by enhancing productivity through programs that improve effectiveness and technology, build a high quality workforce and help companies assess, understand and succeed in their markets.”
For example, in order for the Bridgeport area to be competitive, it has to be on cutting edge of the application of technology within their respective facilities. Says Nunn. “If we want to compete with overseas companies, we have to compete by applying sophisticated technologies and processes in the manufacturing process. In doing so, you have to have a workforce that is able to apply these new technologies and processes. It's all about increasing productivity and decreasing cost,” said Nunn. “Now we have to see how we can leverage our strengths. If you look at a map of Connecticut's metal industries they form a corridor. We're beginning to branch out. We're talking to Waterbury about expanding the cluster.
“Manufacturing in general has taken a beating,” said Nunn. “The metals industry is not being singled out. Even a year and a half ago some of the metals companies were doing better because a particular product was needed. But there's a big difference between a company in the automotive business and one in the defense industry. All these companies have different margins. Some companies are more volume based, while others produce specialized products. It's a large, diverse group so one has to be carefully about making broad statements when referring to the health of the metals industry in Connecticut. The machine tool industry [for instance] has a rich history in Connecticut and has always been strong.”
What's making the cluster work is the effort that the member companies have put into it. “They are driving its course because they are part of the process,” said Nunn. “Metals manufacturers create a lot of value and economic opportunity for financial health in other businesses. The service sector- insurance companies, banks, and advertising firms-all feed on a healthy manufacturing environment.”
George R. Dunbar, chairman of the Metals Manufacturing Cluster, is president of the 155-year old, U.S.Baird Corporation based in Stratford. The company is the oldest privately owned Connecticut manufacturer of machine tools. Asked why so many of the companies that were in the metal business, such as Bridgeport Brass, have disappeared from the scene, Dunbar observes that newer companies have gravitated to other areas emerging as manufacturing centers. And many existing companies have been absorbed by bigger ones, or simply went out of business when they couldn't modernize their operations sufficiently to stay competitive.
Dunbar believes that the cluster is having a positive effect on the state's metals industry. “The Group is incorporating in January 2002. Governor Rowland has been working with us, and he is enthusiastic because the cluster enhances manufacturing, and he feels that our success can be replicated in other areas,” said Dunbar. “But as to the industry's current health and future prospects, manufacturing in this country has had 13 months of decline. “Metal companies are all geared to the economic growth of the country, whether they are making metal products or machines tools to form metals. Generally, Connecticut appears to be able to move forward but will require further economic stimulus to really advance. Some of what happens in the future will depend on what the politicians in Washington do.”
The cluster is not the only group that feels sharing information can only help the metals industry. The Connecticut Association of Metal Finishes, consisting of six manufacturers in Hartford, New Haven and Litchfield counties, has completed its exploratory phase. The networking group is preparing to apply for a developing phase grant, and members plan to work with a national association to create a model for delivering the necessary training.
Some of the best-selling machine tool companies continue to maintain their headquarters in Connecticut while opening factories in other locations. These companies are matching strategies with Japanese firms, such as Okuma, which established a facility in the U.S. in 1987. Bridgeport Machines is an example of one company that continues to maintain headquarters in Connecticut but has its manufacturing plants located elsewhere. Illinois-based Olin Brass, one of the world's leaders in the specialty metals industry has reversed the process. Founded in 1916, the company now operates a specialty rolling mill in Waterbury. It also maintains a Metals Research Laboratory in New Haven staffed by scientists and engineers in metallurgy, chemistry and physics.
Yarde Metals, founded in 1976 by Craig Yarde in the basement of his home in Bristol with a capital investment of $1,000, today operates six branches outside Connecticut. The company carries a multi-metal inventory specializing in aluminum, stainless, carbon steel, copper and brass in a wide range of special and hard-to-find sizes. Today Yarde maintains its corporate headquartered in an 85,000 square foot product complex in Bristol and is presently constructing a 500,000 square foot production complex in Southington.
Ulbrich Stainless Steels of North Haven have been doing business at the same location under the same family name for 77 years. Founded by Fred Ulbrich, the family business has survived by expanding its product line and learning hard lessons about how to succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace. At the end of World War II, for example, the company decided to supply New England manufacturers with precision-gauge stainless steel in quantities that were usually too small or too specialized for larger mills.
Two valuable lessons learned are coming through loud and clear from the metals industry: keeping up with technology and ongoing training for employees is critical, and that future success can best be achieved by working together to share knowledge.
|
Go FirstGo PreviousGo
NextGo LastGo
to Index
|
|
