Breaking News: Connector Products Will Move to Larger Facility!

By Don Janssen

It is with the utmost excitement that I am able to announce that Connector Products Inc. will move into a new building, which was purchased on Monday, Oct. 28. The new manufacturing facility is double the size of our current space, and features an ample amount of floor space for machines, as well as more comfortable facilities for CPI's employees. Because of the location that was chosen, we will be able to maintain our existing workforce. As you know, CPI is a family-run business, and for this reason it was a personal goal for company president Nick Polidori to keep all staff gainfully employed.

For the past six months Nick Polidori has been hard at work to complete the transaction. Prior to that, Nick conducted an extensive search to find the right building to allow CPI to continue its tremendous growth in existing and new product lines.

Using Solidworks to design the layout of the new space, Nick Polidori is overseeing a seamless transition to move the company carefully and strategically into the new space over the next few months. The coming months will see a build out to CPI specifications and logistics planning regarding the upcoming move.

 Because we have both buildings at the time, we are planning NO SHUTDOWN and maintaining our current lead times to customers. Nick plans to complete the move by the end of February 2014, which will allow us to be fully operational in the spring storm season and construction season of 2014.

Less than a 10 minute drive from our current facility in Cinnaminson, the new building in Pennsauken marks the Polidori family's return to their roots because company founder Mario Polidori resided in Pennsauken for 30 years with his wife, Jessi, and their son, Tom.

Connector Products' New Gadget: The MakerBot 3D Printer

Have you seen Wired magazine’s recent cover story on the 3D printer that could change the world?

Connector Products’ president Nick Polidori read the article and heard the buzz surrounding the printer, so he knew he had to see the MakerBot Replicator 2 for himself. He hoped that the printer—the first affordable 3D printer to hit the market—could keep up with the fast pace of innovation at CPI. Nick and engineer Jorye Gross often respond to requests from customers to design special products, or tweak the original designs of older products. Having a 3D printer in the office would allow them to maintain closer creative control over the designs.

 After doing research on MakerBot’s website, Nick learned that the Makerbot store in NYC offers a course to teach engineering-minded children to design their own product using Minecraft, so he thought that his son Kai would love opportunity to tinker. On a Saturday morning in early fall, Nick and Kai drove to the MakerBot store so that Kai could participate in the class to celebrate his 9^th birthday and Nick could investigate the printers. 

While Kai worked on a MacBook Pro to design a pyramid in Minecraft, Nick talked to the store’s employees to find out whether the printer could be a smart addition to CPI’s collection of high-tech machines. As the class ended, Kai and Nick eagerly watched the Makerbot’s spool of plastic heat up and, like a hot glue gun, eject cheerful red plastic to build a small, layered pyramid. Nick realized that printing early prototypes for redesigns and new products could take just hours with Makerbot, and save CPI money.

Although the Polidoris went to New York to celebrate Kai’s birthday, it was Nick who left the city with a shiny new toy.

Over the last few months, Nick and Jorye have used the Makerbot to help design new products, including the Snoot Clamp, and redesign the rail clamp and 2 core wedge tap.

Sometimes, developing “better products by design” means investing in the hottest new gadgets on the market.

For more information about Makerbot Replicator 2, click here. 

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