From simple beginnings in Bloomfield, New Jersey to our modern 57,000 square foot factory, the road has never been straight.
Orbel began operations in 1961 as Orbit Electric proving electroplating of wire for the emerging electronics and aero space markets. The operation began as one employee, Dan Marino. He had the vision and perseverance to make the company grow during its early days.
By 1968 the business had out grown the rent space and a decision was made to construct a new facility just outside Phillipsburg, NJ. The facility housed Orbel's operations for the next sixteen years allowing for continued growth. Now there were a total of ten small reel to reel electroplating lines. Processing light gage metal strip and wire for the specialty low volume market.
Ken & Dan Marino - 1983
In 1984 it became apparent that if Orbel was to survive it needed to move into a town that had a POTW allowing us to discharge into a sewer system as opposed to our pond method that was being used at the time. We made to move to a 42,000 square foot building located in Phillipsburg New Jersey.
The building was much larger than anything we had operated out of in the past. However manufacturing was occurring on three floors making material movement difficult. During this period we introduced rack and barrel electroplating to the operation so that we could more completely support our customer's needs.
In 2001 we purchased the assets of Industrial Engraving the oldest Photo Chemical Milling operation in America dating back over 100 years. The key people along with the equipment were moved in the Phillipsburg operation during 2001. Official manufacturing began in 2002. Quickly we established a presence in the PCM industry with our ability to quickly etch and electroplate an item under one roof with single source responsibility.
Orbel Company Picnic - 2008
By 2004 it became evident we could no longer support our growth in the Phillipsburg location. After a long and difficult search we found our new home. Our new facility located in Easton, PA is 57,000 square feet on one floor. The building sits on seven acres allowing for up to 40,000 square feet of additional expansion. We finally found our permanent home.
In 2008, Orbel completed an extensive manufacturing expansion broadening its capabilities to include custom stamping, fixture heat treating, specialized contips plating, and enhanced prototyping and short run production. This expansion was prompted by the closure of Laird Technologies' Delaware Water Gap, PA facility and its termination of these manufacturing processes. Orbel purchased Laird's manufacturing equipment, transferred the technology, and began producing products to satisfy customer requirements. With these additional capabilities, Orbel is better positioned to offer a wider range of services that meet highly developed electronics requirements including wireless and shielding applications.
