Sales have Grown at Northeastern Electronics Co., so Payroll has too

Originally posted on August 14th, 2009 by Tim Knauss for syracuse.com

A small Elbridge manufacturing company that makes electronic cables and related equipment has hired about 15 workers in recent weeks and plans to hire 20 more by the end of next month. Steven M. Peltz, president and chief executive officer of Northeastern Electronics Co., said he’s not sure whether his company’s increasing sales signal an end to the recession, but he’s optimistic that might be the case.

“Manufacturers are usually the first guys in the recession, and the first guys out,” Peltz said. “I’m hopeful.”

Northeastern Electronics makes power cables, wiring harnesses and related products for military and commercial customers. Orders have increased in both sectors since June, and the company’s employees are working mandatory overtime to keep up, Peltz said.

“Both commercial and military are doing extremely well for us,” he said.

One of the company’s important military contracts is to provide cabling for the next generation of devices to disable roadside bombs of the sort used in Iraq and Afghanistan. Northeastern Electronics is a sub-contractor supplying parts for radio-controlled units that jam the improvised explosive devices.

The company had only 25 employees a year ago, but it has grown to 40 workers. Peltz said he expects to have 60 workers by the end of September.

Northeastern Electronics, which has a 17,000-square-foot factory on Route 5, has employed as many as 120 people. If it continues to win new contracts, it might reach those heights again, Peltz said.

Job applicants — especially those with experience at soldering or machine crimping — are encouraged to call the company at 315-689-2143.

Tim Knauss can be reached at tknauss@syracuse.com or 315-470-3023.