A History of Thinking Ahead

View a complete timeline of ESI’s company history below, starting with 1990 when cofounders Ron Delfini and Carmen Ciardiello formed their partnership.

25 Year Anniversary Seal1990: Engineering Specialties, Inc. founded – a partnership between Carmen Ciardiello and Ron Delfini.

The partners recognized a need for a level of customer service in the metal component market that was only being filled by a limited number of companies. The trend toward outsourcing and reducing vendor bases allowed ESI a niche that few companies could completely fill. ESI expanded its offering with a wide variety of custom, “job-shop” parts such as machining’s, screw-machine parts, injection molded parts, die-castings, D-rings, fasteners, and assemblies.

1995: ESI expanded to a new facility at 20 McDermott Road in Branford, CT.

Our new headquarters provided approximately 2,500 square feet of office space and 6,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

The company purchased stamping and tool-room equipment and began manufacturing metal stampings, in addition to mechanical assemblies.

1999: ESI was awarded QS-9000 and ISO-9002 certification by Intertek Automotive.

2000: ESI purchased Tri-Mech.

visitors-photoESI purchased 100% of Tri-Mech’s stock and merged the two companies in the Branford location. The company expanded into an additional 5,000 square feet of attached manufacturing space to fit the Tri-Mech equipment and personnel. ESI rebuilt the TRI-MECH stamping presses and updated them with the latest safety equipment. ESI purchased three additional presses, including a 150-ton straight side.

The company expanded its tool-making capability with additional toolmakers and tool-making equipment, including the latest Wire EDM technology.

In the early 2000s, competition from low-cost countries necessitated manufacturing changes. The company began investing in automated assembly equipment with stringent quality controls incorporated.

The latest custom mechanical assembly equipment runs “lights-out,” and performs quality checks on 100% of the product using state-of-the-art vision inspection. Eliminating all labor and guaranteeing a zero parts per million defect rate has allowed the company to win many new high-volume automotive contracts.

2005: ESI was awarded ISO/TS-16494 certification by Intertek Automotive.

2006:
ESI moved to our present headquarters in North Branford.Screen Shot 2015-11-30 at 7.43.32 PM

The totally renovated 30,500-square-foot building in North Branford was fitted with new energy-efficient lighting, mechanicals, air system, and a generator that can power the entire operation. The additional space was set up for maximum manufacturing efficiency using lean manufacturing techniques.

Today, ESI headquarters features:

  • The latest in Wire EDM and CNC Machining technology for tool making.
  • The latest in press controls, feeds, and sensors.
  • Custom assembly equipment utilizing state-of-the-art vision inspection.
  • The latest in quality assurance equipment that is regularly calibrated.

2012: ESI teams up with Apricus to meet and exceed requirements for Buy American Act and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

ESI manufactured Apricus solar collectors that absorb energy from the sun and convert it to heat for hot water, heating, cooling, and industrial processes. Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa Delauro visited ESI to applaud its sustainability efforts.

2013: ESI installs one of the largest solar systems in southern New England.

The solar installation generates approximately 75% of the company’s electrical power requirements, significantly reducing ESI’s carbon footprint.

2016: ESI purchases second manufacturing facility to take on additional metal stamping services.

The new 27,000-square-foot facility sits down the road from ESI’s 30,500-square-foot headquarters. The new facility allows ESI to take on higher production volumes and offer new manufacturing services to its customers.