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Minnie Mouse and the U.S.
Military Share Balls
MILFORD, Conn. -- Rising
labor costs and ambush-style competition have some domestic manufacturers
crying "Uncle". But “just south of $50
Million a year” Alinabal Holdings Corporation of Milford, Connecticut
isn't one of them. And they have the balls to prove it.
One thing
Alinabal does best is balls. Ball bearings to be exact. The United States
military puts them in smart bombs and mortars, and Disney uses them for
animatronic characters.
Alinabal
started in 1913, when the company supplied Henry Ford's Model-T with
laminated materials. It's since diversified into the aerospace, defense,
industrial, recreational and medical sectors.
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FILTERED Facts:
Alinabal Holdings
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CEO
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Samuel S. Bergami, Jr.
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Products
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precision stampings and assemblies, spherical rod end
bearing and linkage assemblies, as well as special purpose printers,
aircraft instrumentation and advanced optical shutters
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But
you'll find the company's products in places other than the battlefield
and theme parks. They're everywhere. Alinabal manufactures printers for
ATM machines and the New York Stock Exchange, movie ticket dispensers,
and in-store wedding registry kiosks. They also manufacture a
sophisticated shutter for night vision devices used by firemen and soldiers.
What
distinguishes Alinabal is their track record of mission critical design
excellence, and their precision manufacturing capabilities.
We
recently sat down with Alinabal's CEO, Sam Bergami, to learn more about
what drives this company. Bergami was personally involved in the
development of the wind driven turbine alternators used in the smart
bombs - a project so precise and functional that the product has remained
unchanged since 1985.
"The
Alinabal alternator has a 25 year shelf-life and a safety and arming
device that is set off as the part spins down the mortar shaft,"
says Bergami, "The alternator dually creates electricity for an
on-board microprocessor and protects the person operating the bomb, so it
doesn't go off until it's as far away as possible."
LIKE
A ROCK
Bergami
compares the value of Alinabal's products to other technology
achievements that withstand the test of time: "My son just bought a
brand new truck with all the latest technology, but it's got the same
engine it had 50 years ago," he says, "The Chevy small block
engine turned 50 this year and it still gets the job done."
Bergami
says the company has enjoyed a 45 percent growth for the past five years,
a success he attributes to the company's reputation for service and
delivery. "The most striking difference between now and 10 years ago
is the number of Chinese firms that provide competitors with
components," says Bergami. But Asian competitors can't offer
the same level of service.
Bergami
says Alinabal enjoys a 99% delivery rating, an achievement impossibly
matched by the Chinese because of sheer geographic time obstacles. The
delivery rating measures both the accuracy of when Alinabal says they'll
deliver the product and when the customer says they want the product
delivered. "We believe we have the best delivery performance in the
markets we serve," says Bergami.
Editors Note: Know any innovative Connecticut based
startups or established companies? Shoot us an email and tell us what
makes them interesting.
-- Paul
Paul Allen
CT FILTER
email me: ctfilter@gmail.com
P.S. Stay tuned for exciting
new changes to FILTER coming very soon.
INCUBATOR
SPACE AVAILABLE AT UCONN
The
UConn, Technology Incubation Program provides incubation space and services
to start up technology companies at three locations The TIP is part of
the UConn Office of Technology Commercialization and can provide access
to the unique recourses of Connecticut's
only public research university.
The Avery
Point Campus, Groton,
offers multipurpose space with rooms of 235 sq foot each, and labs
ranging from 235 sq ft to 468 sq ft.. A total of 1,800 sq ft is
available.
The UConn Health Center,
Farmington,
offers labs and adjoining offices from 350 to 450 sq ft depending on the
rooms selected. 3500 sq ft is available.
Storrs offers 500 sq ft
labs with adjoining 100 sq ft offices.
Contact: rita.zangari@uconn.edu
NOTE: FILTER is Connecticut's only ezine written by
and for local technologists. Our full-time job is sorting through
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advertising opportunities, contact metrics@earthlink.net.
A publication of FILTER,
the Insider's Guide to Statewide InnovationSM.
©
2005-2007 CT FILTER All Rights Reserved.
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