Bead Electronics restarts production after storm damage shuts factory for 19 business days

Bead Industries says its Bead Electronics unit is back in production and ramping up after a severe storm forced a full shutdown of its Milford, Connecticut, plant on Aug. 13. The quick restart highlights how employees, customers and contractors helped a fifth-generation manufacturer recover from major building damage, flooding and a loss of electricity.

Why it matters: - Bead Electronics is resuming output after a complete shutdown that lasted 19 business days. - The recovery helps the Connecticut manufacturer work through a backlog and restore supply to customers in medical, automotive, industrial and telecommunications markets. - The restart also shows how quickly a family-owned industrial business can recover when employees, customers and outside partners coordinate around the clock.

What happened: - Bead Industries said its Bead Electronics manufacturing operation is back in production and ramping up capacity after severe storm damage halted operations on Aug. 13. - The storm cell brought winds reported above 100 mph and hit the company’s facility at 11 Cascade Boulevard in Milford, Connecticut. - The roof was ripped from a large part of the building. - The front of the adjoining warehouse collapsed. - Inventory and shipping areas were damaged. - The storm severed the facility’s main fire sprinkler line and flooded the factory and office areas. - No employees were in the building when the storm struck. - No one was injured.

The details: - The damage took the company offline immediately. - The facility lost electricity while structural engineers, building officials, remediation crews and contractors stabilized the property. - Workers emptied and demolished portions of the damaged warehouse. - Crews reinforced walls, made temporary roof repairs and completed water and mold remediation. - Manufacturing equipment was cleaned, evaluated and tested before employees returned safely. - Bead set up temporary warehousing and shipping operations nearby to keep customer support going during the shutdown. - After 19 business days without production, electricity was restored and employees regained safe access to the facility. - Bead Electronics then began restarting manufacturing equipment. - The company is now producing parts on many machines and bringing more equipment and capacity back online. - Employees are working additional hours and overtime where practical to handle the backlog. - Jill Mayer, CEO of Bead Industries, said the company’s top priority was getting the business operating again as quickly as possible after safety was secured. - Mayer said the effort was about protecting a fifth-generation family business and the people and customers that depend on it.

Between the lines: - Bead Industries is a fifth-generation family business with a manufacturing history spanning more than 100 years. - The recovery required coordination with an insurance carrier, structural engineers, remediation specialists, contractors and local officials from the first hours after the storm. - Employees worked with outside partners to recover inventory, reorganize operations, clean equipment, establish temporary work areas and resolve problems as they came up. - The company’s relatively fast restart suggests a combination of employee commitment, local support and customer patience helped offset what could have been a much longer outage. - Mayer credited the resilience, loyalty and teamwork of employees, along with support from customers, suppliers, contractors, first responders, local officials and the manufacturing community. - Mayer also thanked customers for staying patient and continuing to support Bead while the company recovered.

What’s next: - Bead Electronics will keep bringing additional equipment and manufacturing capacity online. - The company will continue working through the backlog created during the shutdown. - Additional hours and overtime are expected where practical as production ramps further.

The bottom line: - Bead Electronics is back online, but the storm damage created a backlog that will take time to clear even as production resumes. - The company’s ability to restart quickly may help limit long-term disruption for customers that rely on its precision components.

More information: Bead Industries on LinkedIn