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12 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J u l y / A u g u s t 2 0 1 9 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m Below right: Schwerdtle employees on the shop floor in the 1950s. Above: Jose Acevedo is preparing to cut and shape raw aluminum into a finished custom tool. L E G A C Y M A N U F A C T U R E R S O ne New Haven area manu- facturer has been in business for so long, its first products were hardware and lanterns for horse-drawn carriages. Another made hardware for Abraham Lincoln's coffin. While half of all new businesses fail within five years, the New Haven area boasts multiple manufacturers which have sur- passed or are approaching their 100th birthdays. Why have some companies been around for so long, while others fail? We turned to the companies themselves for some insight on why they have managed to be successful and not only survive, but thrive, for so long. Jamison Scott, executive director of the New Haven Manufacturers Association, said he has met some of the older generations of area manufacturing companies and has seen a pattern. "All these companies have been through recessions and wars and had to have a little luck, a lot of passion and much perseverance to survive," Scott said. C. Cowles & Co. on Bailey Road in North Haven has a sign, which is visible from I-91, proudly displaying how it was first estab- lished in 1838. e company started out in New Haven manufacturing products for The only constant is change A century ago New Haven was one of the Northeast's most vibrant manufacturing cities. Today only a few companies from that heyday remain alive and thriving - because they learned to adapt or die. By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo horse-drawn carriages — such as carriage lamps, door handles and locks. In the early 1900s, it started making automobile parts, including tail lights, locks and turn signals. Today, Cowles makes products for the heating, automotive and other industries. ey make oil- and gas-fired burners and operating controls, as well as precision plastic injection molded parts. Explains Rich Lyons, Cowles' executive vice president, of his com- pany's longevity: "What has enabled us to stay in business is a continued market focus and flexibility." "We stay close to our customers and their changing needs, which our competition struggles to keep up with," Lyons says. "Always put your customers first and know your customers' needs as well as they do. Be the solution to their problems." e company has survived in large part by changing its focus as times have changed. As people got around with cars instead of carriag- es, they shied to manufacturing for the automotive industry. "We have remained flexible," Lyons says. "We started out with carriage lanterns, and then did metal stamps for the automotive industry. Now, our focus is more on heating. We have remained flexible on our portfolio to capitalize on our strong suits." When times were tough during the Great Depression, the company avoided layoffs. Instead, it cut pro- duction to two or three days a week, and had workers alternate weeks, so every worker had some pay, according to the company. * * * Another long-time manufactur- ing company in southern Con- necticut is the Bridgeport-based Schwerdtle on Benham Ave., which was founded in 1879. e company started engraving products at its beginning, and today it manufactures tools, dies and fix- tures for stamping, indent marking and decorating materials, including metal, leather, wood and plastic. Its hot-stamping dies are used on many well-known products, such as makeup containers, tools, medical equipment, electronics, appliances and automotive parts. Beauty product giant Revlon is among the company's most famous customers — and most lucrative accounts. Katherine Schwerdtle Saint, com- pany president and co-owner, said the first thing she thinks of when she hears of companies in business over 100 years is geography. "ey started there for a reason," she says. For her company, Bridgeport served it well from the beginning because it is a port city, and she noted how it was a booming place with plenty of workers to choose from. Saint's company also had to adapt to changing trends and evolving ma- terials. Schwerdtle is known for its engraving skills, and early on, they decorated many lipstick containers. When cosmetics giants like Revlon and Estée Lauder started fabricat- ing their packaging from plastic, they needed Schwerdtle to decorate plastic, too. Schwerdtle's leadership recognized the plastics market was central to the company's prospects for future growth. "My father and uncle worked with an engineer to make chemical, silicone hot-stamping dyes," Saint explains. "We adapted, and I think you'll hear that a lot among compa- nies which have been around for a long time."

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