ROI Influencers: Manufacturing 2021 (G to M)

By
ROI-NJ Staff
-

Gambert
Newark
Employees: 85
President: Lorraine Gambert
Gambert has been known for producing high-quality custom Mel Gambert shirts since it opened in Newark in 1933, during the Great Depression. It has been stepping up ever since. During World War II, Gambert made shirts in exchange for rations to share with its local neighborhood. During the pandemic, it temporarily shifted production from custom shirts to PPE, manufacturing cloth masks and other items.

Gemco
Middlesex
Employees: 38
President: Casey Bickhardt
A family-owned New Jersey manufacturer founded in 1916, Gemco specializes in the development of all things powder for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and additive manufacturing industries. When COVID-19 hit and the supply chain was shattered — and businesses were stuck waiting for critical materials from overseas — the vital role Gemco plays in health care was revealed. It stepped up to help offset many supply chain disruptions.

Glebar Co. Inc.
Ramsey
Employees: 61
President: John Bannayan
Glebar Co. is a leading engineering, design and manufacturing company, producing precision grinding machines for a wide variety of markets and applications. All of its machines are made in the U.S. During COVID-19, it handled direct requests from key customers and the government, producing syringes used in test kits while supporting the need for ventilator components.

Goya Foods Inc.
Jersey City
Employees (in N.J.): Approximately 500
CEO: Bob Unanue
Goya Foods has a global reach as the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the country, but its impact was felt greatly in New Jersey. Not only did the company ensure that there was plenty of product available on grocery store shelves, Goya donated more than 4 million pounds of food after the pandemic took hold.

General A&E
Hackensack
Employees: 25
CEO: John Baker
A small, but critical sheet metal firm that builds electronics enclosures for the aviation, Department of Defense and medical sectors. It continued and expanded operations during COVID-19 to support not only the defense industry, but the transportation area as well — helping to keeping everything moving without fail.

Hatteras Press
Tinton Falls
Employees: 500
President: Bill Duerr
Founded in 1983, the company is a strong believer in establishing true relationships with its customers and community. When the pandemic took hold, Hatteras Press retooled its print shop and began manufacturing PPE, delivering tens of thousands of protective face shields to health care professionals.

Inrad Optics Inc.
Northvale
Employees: 20
CEO: Amy Eskilson
Founded in 1973, Inrad Optics has built a reputation as a leader in the photonic industry. As it has grown, Inrad Optics has expanded its product offerings to include crystal-based optical components and devices, custom optical components from both glass and metal, and precision optical and optomechanical assemblies. It services numerous industries, including defense, aerospace, laser, medical, process control and metrology. Without Inrad Optics, countless laboratories and health care facilities would have been stuck waiting for critical equipment.

Jaktool
Cranbury
Employees: 25
President: Cristy Richards
The company’s mission is to deliver competitive advantages to its clients through the application of engineering, product development and precision prototyping. Jaktool serves a variety of industries, but the COVID-19 pandemic showed its strong connection to two: medical devices and laboratory equipment.

Johnson & Johnson
New Brunswick
Employees: 134,000 worldwide
CEO: Alex Gorsky
The world’s leading pharmaceutical company created and is manufacturing one of the leading COVID-19 vaccines in the world. Its one-shot dose, despite a temporary pause, will have great impact, especially globally.

Keystone Industries
Gibbstown
Employees: 600
Global director, operations and supply chain: Bob Steward
Keystone has served the cosmetics, dental and health industry for more than 100 years. It stepped up during the pandemic, pivoting its production focus to hand sanitizer to help alleviate the shortage.

The Knotts Co.
Berkeley Heights
Employees: 36
CEO: Rick Howe
Manufacturing is heavily dependent on innovative equipment. The Knotts Co. is an automation solution provider of industrial, automation and robotics products. The support and innovative technology the Knotts Co. provided to help manufacturers continue producing products during the pandemic was crucial.

Lamatek
West Deptford
Employees: 30
President: Fernando Gisone
A privately owned, ISO 9001 certified manufacturer, Lamatek produces custom converted tapes, seals, gaskets and other flexible materials for various industries, including electronics, appliances, windows and door manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers, packaging, signage, HVAC, industrial and janitorial, and automotive. During the pandemic, Lamatek retooled its facility to make PPE, manufacturing adhesive-backed foam strips for brow liners on more than 3 million face shields.

Maingear
Kenilworth
Employees: 30
CEO: Wallace Santos
A manufacturer of high-end PCs, Maingear was founded on the idea of using innovative technology to push the limits of what is possible. Maingear helped the fight against COVID-19 in an unexpected way when it launched MAINGEAR LIV, an emergency pulmonary ventilator engineered specifically to meet the needs of the COVID-19 pandemic. The product is 25% of the cost of a typical ventilator and is designed to address emergency needs.

Marotta Controls Inc.
Montville
Employees: 510
CEO: Patrick Marotta
An aerospace and defense manufacturer with more than 200 patents and 75 years of experience, Marotta Controls’ precision valves, manifolds, power conversion, motor drives and control actuation systems for weapon systems are used in military aircraft, government and commercial spacecraft and more. It has helped support numerous critical industries during the pandemic.

Merck
Kinnelon
Employees (in N.J.): 12,000
CEO: Ken Frazier (Robert Davis to assume role July 1)
One of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies, it ended its attempts to create a COVID-19 vaccine after early studies showed it would not meet efficacy standards. However, the company made global news when it agreed to help competitor J&J produce its vaccine.

MF Supply
Lodi
Employees: 110
President: Robin Lieberman
A stock-sector distributor, MF Supply serves as a sourcing expert and supply chain partner to business, industry and government. The company, which specializes in fasteners and hardware, became a crucial supplier during the pandemic. It supports numerous industries, including aerospace; OEMs of instrumentation, equipment and machines; architectural metal and glass; sheet metal fabrication; and contract manufacturers for lighting, furniture, elevators and machine shops.

Mira Plastics
Newton
Employees: 32
Founder: Anthony Miragliotta
A full-service plastic injection molding manufacturer located in a 62,000-square-foot modern facility, Mira Plastics has been committed to producing custom plastic parts with the highest quality and care since 1955. A leader in the plastic injection molding space, it was essential during COVID, supplying life science, food manufacturing and other sectors throughout the tri-state and the nation.