Forging the Foundation of the Window Hardware Sector

Insights on one of New Hampshire’s front-running commercial construction firms

 

Since its founding in 1944, Bronze Craft Corporation has firmly etched its name in the history of American manufacturing.

“Resilient evolution” is the only phrase that can aptly capture the firm’s stellar trajectory over the decades. It has endured and thrived under countless economic trials and conditions, a testament to its adaptability and superior capabilities.

Even when faced with challenges like offshore competition and volatile material costs, Bronze Craft’s strategic decisions, such as repatriating manufacturing and proactive exploration of alternative materials, highlight its ingenuity under duress.

As a result of this ingenuity, the firm has maintained profitability from its foundational success in commercial window hardware to its strategic expansions into diverse sectors, like infrastructure and high-end musical instruments.

Bronze Craft’s effectiveness is evident in its beneficial partnerships, such as its decades-long relationship with Securistyle, a 4-bar friction hinge manufacturer. Additionally, they partnered with two window automation giants, D&H Mechatronic and Ultraflex Control Systems (UCS).

The firm’s savvy selection of partners has enhanced its product offerings and market reach, and the longevity of those alliances speaks volumes about its value as a business partner.

The company’s operational excellence, initially formalized through ISO 9001 and maintained through robust internal processes, translates directly into a strong bottom line for all parties involved.

However, profits are just a by-product of the firm’s operations, not the focus.

Historically, Bronze Craft has emphasized employee well-being. Its founding belief is that fostering a loyal and skilled workforce bolsters productivity and reduces costly turnover.

The single belief has led to a proven track record of profitability, strategic partnerships, and operational efficiency, built on the hard work of a passionate, dedicated workforce with minimal turnover. Average length of employment is 29 years.

The firm’s story showcases how committing to quality and remaining flexible can yield enduring, diversified success.

But what are the specific strategies that have allowed this decades-old corporation to not only survive but consistently thrive in an ever-changing economic landscape?

It’s time to find out; the secret to Bronze Craft Corporation’s lasting legacy lies ahead.

Evolving from Hardware Origins to Diversified Service

Founded by the resourceful Arthur Atkinson, Bronze Craft Corporation has evolved from a niche manufacturer of commercial window hardware into a diversified supplier for a wide array of industries.

Atkinson’s initial vision for the firm was born out of necessity. As a steel window worker, he recognized a critical gap in the availability of reliable window hardware.

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 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 multi-point 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 prices. In response, Bronze Craft established relationships with two foundries in China to manufacture its high-volume white bronze hardware.

However, Bronze Craft is also fiercely committed to domestic production and quality control. This is why, approximately seven to eight years ago, the firm made a strategic decision to bring all its manufacturing back to its Nashua, NH facility.

This move demonstrates the firm’s focus on maintaining stringent quality standards and its desire to support the American workforce, which has exclusively contributed to its growth and success.

Bronze Craft is as loyal to its roots as it is adaptable to its opportunities. In fact, another example of its loyalty and adaptability can be seen in its efforts to ensure the quality and sustainability of its raw materials.

“We source all our raw materials domestically. We use several different metal smelters and make sure that the chemical makeup of the alloys is within specification. We check that on every batch we get,” Bernard explains, noting the challenges the firm has faced in material sourcing.

The volatility in raw material costs directly impacts pricing and, consequently, customer costs. To overcome this challenge, Bronze Craft has offered alternative alloys to its customers, allowing it to maintain stability despite the fluctuating global supply chain.

Ultimately, all of Bronze Craft’s decisions are motivated by the satisfaction of its customers and employees, and struggling with a disruption of any kind is never an option.

In fact, Arthur Atkinson’s founding principles included a deep sense of care for employees. Atkinson fostered a strong sense of community, providing amenities like a softball field and 4 bowling alleys installed in the basement of the company for employee recreation.

His generosity extended to offering employees and customers free vacations at 4 company-owned lake properties in the aptly named town of Atkinson, New Hampshire.

“Take care of the customer” is the firm’s core principle, and to that end, it ensures that its employees receive the same level of service.

The Precise and Proud Practices Securing the Legacy

In the 1990s, Bronze Craft achieved ISO 9001 certification, showing its dedication to documenting and standardizing its operational processes to ensure consistent quality.

While the company opted not to renew the certification in the early 2000s due to the associated costs during a challenging economic period, the foundational work of documenting procedures and standard operating procedures (SOPs) remains integral to its operations.

Even more so, the quality born from those processes remains verified and highly lauded to this day, even without third-party certification. This can be easily seen in Bronze Craft’s significant contributions to the building industry.

For example, a late former employee Doug Adams, played a key role in developing the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) specifications for windows and locking hardware.

Bronze Craft has also been a member of the Non-Ferrous Founders Society, engaging with peers on regulatory issues, including OSHA and EPA compliance.

Despite facing challenges related to practices predating the establishment of the EPA, Bronze Craft has overcome these challenges and maintains a strong commitment to the environment and safety of its employees.

“We try to do everything we can to ensure the safety of our employees and our neighborhood so that we can remain a responsible corporate citizen,” Bernard proudly states.

Looking to the future, Bernard’s short-term goal for Bronze Craft is to continue providing a livelihood for the 50 + families who depend on the company.

He expresses pride in his dedicated team, including his two children, Toni Capano (Vice President and Treasurer) and Evan Benard (Cost Department), who represent the potential fourth generation of leadership, along with his sister in-law Renee Whitten (Master Scheduler and Customer Service) who is also the Corporate Secretary.

In the long term, the focus is on ensuring Bronze Craft Corporation’s continued growth and development, building on its legacy of quality, adaptability, and strong relationships.

These are undoubtedly the principles and practices that will ensure its enduring presence in the commercial construction industry and beyond for years to come.

AT A GLANCE

Who: Bronze Craft Corporation

What: A premier manufacturer of commercial window hardware and precision-cast components

Where: Headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire.

Website: www.bronzecraft.com