PMPA Member Prime Engineered Components Finds Success in Employee Training and Diverse Capabilities

A little more than 50 years ago in Watertown, Connecticut, Prime Engineered Components was only a handful of screw machines in a garage, making munitions for the Vietnam War efforts. Today, the company has grown into one of the largest ISO/TS-16949 certified, automatic screw machine companies in the region. Founded by the Magi/Izzo family, Prime Engineered Components remains a family-owned business in its third generation with a second shop in nearby Bristol, Connecticut.

“After we purchased the second shop, our business expanded tremendously,” says Brian Smith, vice president of sales and operations at Prime Engineered Components. “The company went from primarily Davenport and New Britain screw machines, to CNC machines capable of making high-volume parts with large diameters. The evolution in technology has made us a one-stop shop for our customers.”

In addition to screw machining and CNC machining capabilities, the company offers a number of processing technologies, including engineering, cleaning and assembly. While the company primarily serves the automotive industry, Prime provides solutions for a number of different industries, including garden hose fittings, medical parts and firearms. Mr. Smith says having a diverse list of customers helped the company thrive in uncertain economic times.

“Many of us at Prime have been in the industry for so many years that we are able to not only design parts for customers, but also machine them at the same time,” Mr. Smith says. “We’ve grown to be so much more than a screw company. Now, we can say we’re an engineering company that collaborates with our customers to develop cost-minimizing solutions.”

In addition to its range of capabilities and industries served, Prime Engineered Components’ biggest strength is its dedication to employee training and development. Mr. Smith says the company keeps an overflow of young employees in hopes they will train all the way up through the company. No matter the experience level of a new hire, Mr. Smith says the company keeps its younger employees motivated by laying out specific tasks and goals to encourage them to move up through the ranks.

“Our motto is, ‘Our workforce is our number one customer’,” Mr. Smith says. “You don’t have a shop without people running it. If we can provide them with what they need, our customers can get the things like quality and on-time delivery that they need.”

As a PMPA member, Mr. Smith says the organization’s wealth of information has been a key part of Prime’s success over the years. Through meetings and listserves, employees have been able to benchmark off of similar companies and learn directly from other members experiencing similar challenges.

“Having access to the listserves has been great for us,” Mr. Smith says. “To be able to get those immediate answers has been one of the biggest advantages of our membership. To be able to solve problems without reinventing the wheel is a huge benefit.”

Prime Engineered Components Inc. is located at 1012 Buckingham St., P.O. Box 359, Watertown, Connecticut 06795 and 231 Century Drive, Bristol, Connecticut 06010. Phone: 860- 274-6773. Website: primeeci.com