Worcester Business Journal

18 Worcester Business Journal | April 3, 2017 | wbjournal.com F O C U S M A N U F A C T U R I N G W Oyo Sportstoys grows by responding to demand T he idea for Oyo Sportstoys Inc. came to CEO and Founder Tom Skripps at a 2010 baseball game. "When I was at a baseball game, and I promised my son a toy, I went down the the shop, and there were no toys. My son was big into Lego, so I put two and two together," Skripps said. Skripps designed a toy figure similar to those made by Lego but with bend- able arms and legs designed to look like major league baseball players. Founded in 2011, Oyo raised $14 million in its five years, said Meredith Harris, executive director of the Marlborough Economic Development Corp. Initially, the company did MLB figures but expanded to NFL, NHL, NBA and MLS. The designs are created by an in-house team and include a play- er's facial features and jersey. In 2015, Oyo received a 10-year, tax- increment-financing agreement with estimated savings of $223,995 from Marlborough to spend $8 million improving its facility. In exchange, the company committed to bring 195 jobs to the city over the next decade. Changing with the times, quickly The company imports blank parts in bulk, which allows them to respond to quick changes in demand, said Skripps. "The turnaround time is just unbe- lieveable," Harris said. "Whatever team wins, Oyo Sportstoys is up and ready to roll out product the next morning." Each production line is manned by only three employees who must be able to perform many different tasks. "We have been to other factories where each assembly line has 20 people each doing a specific task. We can't do that," said Skripps. New opportunities for growth The company develops new product lines, launching OYOme in March. "It is pretty simple, your face with your favorite team," said Michael Stoico, Oyo director of consumer revenue. The new line allows customers to create a customized figure of their like- ness wearing their favorite teams jersey. "Kids can incorporate themselves into the play, which is a big selling point, or the figure can be more of a display piece, a good conversation start- er," said Stoico. BY SAVANNAH DONOHUE Worcester Business Journal Editorial Intern Emerging Manufacturer Award Oyo Sportstoys, Inc. Location: Marlborough Industry subsector: Sports mini- figures and toys Top executive: Founder & CEO Tom Skripps Full-time employees: 42 Founded: 2011 Signature product: Limited edition, sports-licensed mini figures OYO prints players designs on to already produced blank parts, allowing them to respond quickly to changes in demand. Vibram collaboration led to U.S. manufacturing W hat started more than 50 years ago as a licensing agreement between an inter- national apparel company and a North Brookfield production company devel- oped into a longstanding collaboration and eventual acquisition. In 2015, Vibram, a manufacturer of high-performance soles, acquired its longtime partner Quabaug Corp. of North Brookfield, giving the Italian apparel company its first manufacturing location in North America. After the acquisition, Vibram announced a multi- million dollar campaign aimed at improving workflow through lean man- ufacturing, equipment replacement, process upgrades, and automating. "2016 was the first full year after the acquisition, and a lot of significant investments were made," said Michael Gionfriddo, president and CEO of Vibram USA. "We anticipate we're going to continue that trend in 2017." As of right now, the focus is making the North Brookfield plant as state-of- the-art as possible, said Gionfriddo. Efforts are being made to hire young engineering talent from places like Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and UMass Lowell. "Vibram is showing how strong com- munity partnerships can create good jobs and continue the proud tradition of high-quality products made in America," said U.S. Congressman Jim McGovern (D-Worcester), who attend- ed an event last fall at Vibram, celebrat- ing 100 years of manufacturing in North Brookfield for Quabaug. "A man- ufacturer of essential products used by our military and men and women in uniform, Vibram is also helping to keep our country safe." The relationship with Quabaug has been a crucial part of Vibram's success in the U.S., said Gionfriddo. Oftentimes, it's important for compa- nies to combine their expertise, because they can be more successful that way, he said. "You always have to remember that people make up the company," said Gionfriddo. "When you bring [people] together, the whole is greater than what you might achieve on your own because of the expertise that different people bring to the party." Collaboration in Manufacturing Award VIBRAM USA Location: North Brookfield Industry subsector: Rubber manu- facturing (specific for shoe soles) Top executive: President & CEO Mike Gionfriddo Full-time employees: 300 Founded: 1965 Signature product: Vibram's first sole, the Carrarmato Sole, which is coincidentally celebrating its 80th anniversary this year. Vibram USA acquired its longtime manufacturing partner Quabaug Corp. in 2015 and makes product at the North Brookfield facility. BY LAURA FINALDI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer W

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