U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on July 22 that Bead Industries in Milford is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.”
Bead Industries, founded in 1914 and employing 48 people, is a fifth generation family-owned business that specializes in the manufacturing of contact pins for connector, automotive, medical and specialty lighting industries, according to a press release from Murphy’s office. Bead does work for companies like Amphenol, Molex, Lee Company and Light Sources. All of Bead’s products are manufactured in its Milford and Cheshire facilities using a process called swaging, an alternative to machining and stamping.
“For over a century, Bead Industries has been a pioneer in the metal-working process,” Murphy said. “Bead has found innovative ways to stay competitive with the changing times over the last hundred years. I’m proud to highlight their work and applaud their commitment to training the next generation of Connecticut manufacturers. My office is here to help in anyway it can.”
Jill Mayer, CEO of Bead Industries, said, “As a Connecticut manufacturer who has been through depressions, recessions and industrial revolutions, we have had to learn to adapt. We have an opportunity to provide not just a paycheck but a fulfilling career in manufacturing through assistance with education, training and personal growth.”
Bead Industries remains active in communities across Connecticut as a member of the New Haven Manufacturers Association, and hosts tours every year on Manufacturing Day to promote manufacturing careers to students across the state, according to Murphy’s office. Bead has remained competitive by reinventing itself over its 104-year history in response to changing technology and customer needs.
“The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating the state’s economic recovery,” states Murphy’s press release. “Today, Connecticut’s thousands of manufacturers account for 10 percent of the state’s jobs and 87 percent of the state’s total exports.”
Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the BuyAmerican.gov Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.