■ Manufacturing Profiles
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Sean Glasser BLUETRACK Inc .
Little did Sean Glasser know it at the time , but the patriotism he showed after Sept . 11 , 2001 would become the foundation of his business career .
After the horrific terrorist attacks , Glasser started selling FDNY and PDNY T-shirts to raise money for the victims ’ families . He was in college at the time and the experience made him realize he could be an entrepreneur . He started selling bike wheel lights , then pens with lights and later lighted key chains . Customers started asking to have their logos on the items . By senior year he brought in a partner and they bought a print shop to facilitate the business .
Within a few years they started selling at trade shows and decided to expand into promotional items . They started with stress balls and the business took off . Now they offer 1,200 different shapes of stress balls and they have expanded into backpacks , key chains and hand sanitizer .
Glasser is the founder and CEO of BLUETRACK Inc ., which is described as an innovative company of brands specializing in manufacturing , distribution and e-commerce in the health , safety , stress and ad specialty industries .
Located in Clifton , the business is now 20 years old . “ I would not necessarily recommend it to anyone . It just happened to be what I did and I just kept doing it . There were a lot of hard years and you learn from it . When failure is not an option , you find a way to make it work ,” he said .
When the pandemic hit , Glasser faced supply chain issues . He was forced to find alternative sources for materials and / or pay higher prices . Often times , Glasser found himself negotiating with suppliers and customers to determine if there was an “ wiggle room ” with the timeline or the materials . He is grateful for the flexible customers .
“ We made it work for people ,” he said . The most important lesson he learned in the pandemic was to diversify his line . His bottom line was hit hard when trade shows were cancelled during the pandemic . Glasser vowed not to repeat that situation . “ Going forward we are going to try our best to diversify and bring all of the process in house so we ’ re not stuck waiting for things outside our control .”
Mitch Cahn Unionwear
For years Mitch Cahn has been considering ways to bring more automation to Unionwear , the Newark
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Mitch Cahn Unionwear
Madeleine Robinson LPS Industries , LLC
sewing plant where he has made custom baseball caps , backpacks and other items for three decades .
The pandemic-triggered labor shortage made the company president finally invest in automation . Over the past year he spent more than $ 1 million in equipment and software . Manual cutting of materials has been replaced by computer-assisted work . He also automated the sewing operation by “ deskilling ” many positions . No longer is experience necessary , he said , explaining any machines merely need the operator to push a button . The software investment allowed him to upgrade many processes . For example , he said workers on the floor can now record production , as opposed to the count being done once a day in the office .
Unionwear employs 160 workers . During the height of pandemic , Cahn was short about 25 workers . While 12 workers have been hired since June , Cahn said automation enabled him to meet demand . “ It ’ s never been busier ,” he said .
His company distinguishes itself by using all domestic products . The pandemic spurred a great demand for American made items . Labor unions are among Cahn ’ s biggest customers and their growth over the past two years also lead to a business boom .
The supply chains issues did not affect Unionwear as much as other manufacturers , either because of its reliance on domestic materials . “ One of our strengthens is our flexibility and ability to respond to demand ,” Cahn said . Like many manufacturers , Unionwear kept operating throughout the pandemic . It made face shields and hospital gowns to help during the healthcare crisis .
As Cahn looks to the future , he wants to grow his markets . His Made in America products are a lot closer
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