New Jersey Machine participated in the International Packaging Show in Chicago (held every two years). This event is held at McCormick Place, the same venue as the Machine Tool Show I had attended when at J&L. Being there again, but with vastly different machinery, was quite an experience. Labeling, packaging, carton assembly machines, shrink wrap devices, the variety of equipment present was overwhelming.

When I was at NJM (1990-1991), the company was owned by a Swiss firm, SIG. During my tenure, they celebrated their 100th anniversary; every employee (worldwide) received a check for 100 Swiss francs, as a “bonus”. We also had annual company sponsored summer picnics at the Hartland Dam, and an elaborate Christmas party.

Before joining NJM, I had gotten into the habit of walking most every lunchtime. But because the company was located on Etna Road, a narrow two lane with no sidewalks, walking was hazardous. There are several high tech companies located on this road, and traffic was heavy. Because of that, most of my walking took place in our parking lot.

New Jersey Machine had a flex hours policy, where an employee could come in anytime between 7:00 and 9:00 in the morning, and work until their daily hour assignment was complete. This worked quite well for me in the summer, as I rode a motorcycle to work whenever possible; I could ride several routes coming and going, to vary my routine. Most of the time I stayed off I91, and used route 5 in Vermont, or route 12 or 120 in New Hampshire. Sometimes I would ride route 106 to Woodstock, and up thru Quechee, crossing the river in West Lebanon.

The company had a policy of working a lot of overtime; many of the assembly crew had been working 50-60 hours a week for years. So of course their household budgets were based on this income. When business started to slow down, many found themselves extended too far financially. Some of this slowdown was the result of a new company policy “farming out” machining work that had been done in-house. Most of the machinery we had was sold off for various reasons. This kind of reasoning usually backfires, as the company looses control over the processes necessary to keep to a build schedule. And that was what happened; a decline began that continued long after I left; the company was “bought back” by a group of NJM executives; the new owners sold off some of the product lines to raise capital; I don’t know how long they were able to keep going, but I do know they were purchased by a Canadian firm; I don’t believe there is anything left of NJM in Lebanon now.