This led to Bronze Craft’s 1944 establishment in Nashua, New Hampshire, specifically to fill that gap. However, the firm quickly forged relationships with major players even beyond the window industry. A notable early partnership with a power transmission company in the 1960s and 70s. However, that company moved most of its operations to Mexico, and Bronze Craft was faced with a straightforward decision: adapt or stand still.Another of their oldest customers is a military organization that sells grave markers and specific war memorial markers. This is how the company began its path to diversification. “We looked for products that would complement the window hardware that we manufactured,” says CEO Jim Bernard, noting the types of opportunities that this pivot led to. “Knowing hinges were another main player with window manufacturing, we pursued Securistyle out of England.This relationship was forged 35 years ago. We distribute their four-bar hinges manufactured for projected windows. We also decided to distribute window actuators, and developed a relationship with two window automation manufacturers, UCS out of Italy and D&H Mechatronic out of Germany,” Bernard explains.“We also have a relationship with a company called Sobinco out of Belgium. They make multipoint locking hardware for euro-groove windows,” Bernard says, explaining that these key partnerships originally established by second generation owner A. Jack Atkinson have played a crucial role in Bronze Craft’s success and market reach. Additionally, the strategic acquisition in the early 1980s of Nashua Brass Company, a local foundry, brought new customers, for whom Bronze Craft continues to manufacture hardware for today. More recently, Bronze Craft has diversified by making fire hydrant components, plumbing and valve fittings, as well as wind dampening castings. They also produce woodworking tool castings, showcasing their versatility in metal casting. AN OPERATION ROOTED IN FLEXIBILITY AND UNWAVERING CARE The foundation of Bronze Craft’s operation is its quality, adaptability, and deep-rooted care for its customers and employees. During its early days of serving primarily commercial window original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the firm’s design team worked closely with these manufacturers to create custom locking systems for their window lines. “We also developed an open line of hardware, and over the years, many OEM’s in the industry converted to our hardware line, which we still have today,” Bernard states. This success, however, brought new challenges in the form of offshore competition. In the early 2000s, a Chinese competitor emerged, replicating Bronze Craft’s catalog and undercutting 4 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 06
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