Celebrating 60 Years

There was a time when manufacturing was at the forefront of the economy. Nearly 2/3 of the American workforce used to work in factories and had long standing jobs that defined the meaning of hard work and industrialization. Before China and Japan emerged as valued competitors, the United States was leading the charge. In the early 1900s, the Industrial Revolution was underway. By the 1930s, automobiles could be seen in the streets, with Henry Ford helping build a new line of American made cars. Today, the world has changed with technology and internet emerging fast and IT jobs increasing in demand, while the industry that was once the building block of innovation has declined, as less emphasis has been put on manufacturing, the chain that started change in America.

A majority of us have seemed to forgotten the value that was once manufacturing. A lot of companies these days are merged together and few long standing American made brands are left. Luckily, one company has emerged among the chaos and has stayed true to the core values and hard work that defined the building blocks of their matter; Rotor Clip Company is celebrating its 60^th Anniversary this year.

60 years, 6 decades: a long standing tenure of excellence. Rotor Clip opened its doors in 1957, when the company was founded by Robert Slass in Farmingdale, NY in a 2000 square foot building. There wasn’t much available to Slass and his staff at the time, but he had a vision to spread innovation through his product line and become a trusted member of the manufacturing industry. His plan worked as the company moved to the Bronx, NY in the early 1960s and then relocated to its current estate in Somerset, NJ in 1972. Since then, his sons Jonathan and Craig Slass have affirmed the daily operations of the company.

Today, Rotor Clip Company is regarded as the global leader in the manufacture of Tapered Section Retaining Rings, Constant Section Retaining Rings, Spiral Retaining Rings, Wave Springs, and Self-Compensating Hose Clamps. All of this is achieved in a 238,000 square foot facility in Somerset, NJ with operations also in The UK, Germany, The Czech Republic and Shanghai, China-providing worldwide services to its customers.

Rotor Clips products support and serve many industries including Automotive, Aerospace, Wind Power and the Military. If you were to look at the parts of a car, you would see that Rotor Clips products serve a function for nearly every component of the automobile. The graph below demonstrates this.

For fifty years, Rotor Clip has supported the automotive industry and our team of dedicated engineers work in unison with automotive experts to develop the most cost-effective and functional components for their applications. From the mirrors to the brakes, Rotor Clip’s commitment to quality keeps the automotive industry safe and rolling along. This is a prime example of how Rotor Clip Company provides innovation and trust to the industries they serve. 

The company has been recognized for its value, receiving numerous quality awards from major OEMs, automotive manufacturers, and distributors. Rotor Clip is certified to ISO 9001, ISO/TS 16949, AS 9100 and ISO 14001.

Rotor Clip offers quality products and value-added services and solutions to support the marketplace before and after the sale. Technical assistance, product training, cost-reduction programs, design assistance, along with competitive pricing and JIT delivery make Rotor Clip a well trusted and respected manufacturer.

We all have to start somewhere and lucky for Robert Slass, he embodied a vision that has carried over to this day. This month of September marks the 60^th anniversary of Rotor Clip, a testament to its product line and commitment to innovation. His sons Jonathan and Craig continue the legacy of value and prominence that started the company all those years ago. Cheers to Rotor Clip and its perseverance for being a leader in Manufacturing.


Justin Arbadji is a Marketing Assistant for Rotor Clip Company. 

Charging Stations and the Perseverance of Modern Technology

Will we ever live in a world where charging stations can be found every mile or two down the road? The changing landscape of the automotive industry has proven that through innovation, there is no need to be set in our ways. In other words, for those who have made the statement of never switching from their gas or diesel vehicles to electric should highly reconsider. Charging stations are not only taking the nation, but also the world by storm.

Tesla Supercharger Stations 

According to The People's Daily, “A total of 167,000 charging piles have now been connected to the telematics platform of the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), making it the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging network.” This is significant for China as their land mass consists of 9.6 million square kilometers. As for the United States, our footprint of charging stations is fairly small with only 945 Tesla supercharger stations. This is due to the current Tesla sales of only 100,000 vehicles per year. However, with Tesla’s introduction of the new Model 3, which is an affordable model intended for the mass audience, we can expect a large influx of electric vehicles filling our streets here in the United States.

Therefore, this answers our original question. Through innovation we can expect this reality of charging stations to be installed in every street corner as the developing technology and affordability of fully integrated electric vehicles becomes prevalent in our modern society. We need to give the public a reason to consume these electric vehicles. Without the incentive of having the ability to charge your vehicle in a plethora of locations, this evolution in mobility will lack significant growth.

Founder, Robert Slass

I recall in my early years at Rotor Clip Company, when the late founder Robert Slass brought the first Toyota Prius hybrid model to work in 2003. I vividly remember bursting into laughter questioning his sons, now the current co-owners Craig and Jonathan Slass, “what is your father driving?” The car even had a bumper sticker that said “Eat My Voltage.” Of course as an engineer, this was no laughing matter to Mr. Slass as he took pride in new technologies that could eventually sweep the nation.

Now, fourteen years later, Co-owner Craig Slass brought up our foolishness of not realizing what his father was trying to tell us back then. Robert made a statement to his employees and sons that we must keep our eyes on the future of automotive innovation.

In 2003, it didn't necessarily seem like a reality that we would inhabit a world of vehicles run solely on the electric grid. However, technology, especially in the automotive industry, has proven to further exponential growth decade after decade. As a result, this represents the reason why Tesla is such a successful modern automotive brand. Instead of closing off the market, Elon Musk opened the doors to competition, which not only elevates the Tesla brand, but also helps facilitate a major growth for electric vehicles. Overall, automotive suppliers should not be afraid of the changing landscape of this evolving industry, but rather learn how to adapt. 

Robert Slass taught us a very valuable lesson and that is to always appreciate a developing technology, as it can eventually have a major role in our future society.

Evan Slass is a Digital Marketing Communications Specialist for Rotor Clip Company.

United States to Surpass China as No. 1 Country for Manufacturing by 2020

As the competitiveness of American industry rises, so too does ranking amongst the world’s leading manufactures. Fortune.com notes that as of 2017, the United States is the second most competitive manufacturing economy after China. Global manufacturing executives predict that by 2020, The United States will surpass China as the leading manufacturer in the world.

There has been a drastic rise in competition in the United States and much of that can be attributed to cheap labor being a thing of the past. It used to be a vital point for manufactures, especially in China during the 1990s, where they encouraged cheap labor and required less environmental regulations. Today, technology has drastically reduced the need for additional workers and the keys to success are dependent on advanced technologies, the availability of materials and whether or not intellectual property protections are strong. The United States is ahead of the curb in these 3 categories.  

Future Forecast of Manufacturing until 2020

It is extremely beneficial that manufacturing firms believe the United States is a great place to do business, but there is misguidance when it comes to success having the same impact it did nearly half a century ago. Wages for most workers has been stagnant for a generation and those without college degrees are being granted less opportunity. 

The decline of manufacturing employment should not be considered a political failure, but rather a natural economic process that many industries have gone through in the past. As technology sectors become more sophisticated, it requires fewer workers to get the job done. There may be fewer workers, but it is a good sign manufacturing executives want to do business in America.

To the common citizen, they assume most products aren’t made in the United States anymore, but rather in China, Mexico and Vietnam to name a few and that the only jobs available or even left in America, are in hospitality and the food industry. While it is true the number of jobs in the manufacturing sector has declined, it doesn’t mean that the United States has become deindustrialized. It just means the number of jobs available have declined because efficiency in technology has required less workers.

There are many things that come off as surprising, one of them being that manufacturing is the largest and most dynamic sector of the United States economy. The industry is highly connected to other sectors, such as retail, mining, and transportation and also accounts for nearly 80% of what the private sector spends on research and development each year. Manufacturing provides innovation that keeps other businesses going.

If proof is required that manufacturing is still a viable and healthy industry in America, look no further than Rotor Clip Company Inc., the global leader in the manufacturing of Tapered Section Retaining Rings, Constant section retaining rings, Spiral Retaining Rings, Wave Springs and Self-compensating Hose Clamps. It is a family owned business that has been around since 1957, a testament to their importance among manufacturers. Rotor Clip serves a handful of industries, such as Industrial, Aerospace and Transportation, On/Offshore, Automotive, Commercial Aerospace, Topside/Onshore, Construction and Farm, Space and Defense, Subsea/Seabed, Recreational Vehicles, Railway and Heavy Industry and Down Hole/In Well. It is an example of how manufacturing serves every other industry in America and should be taken more seriously amongst the public.

Another surprising fact is manufacturing output is near a record high. In today’s economy, US factory workers produce twice as much as they did in 1984, but with a third fewer workers. Though there is still a high demand for foreign-made goods, it is believed it will take another 3 years of growth to surpass China.

The important thing to remember is American manufacturing is alive and well and technology has never been as advanced or efficient for the common worker. The only downside is the loss of well-paid jobs hurting the working class. The rise of low-skilled manufacturing in China and other developing nations equates to fewer Americans working in factories. A large percentage of American workers are in the service/producing industries, where inequalities in opportunities, skills and incomes are more apparent. Rebuilding the manufacturing economy to what it once was is not an easy task, but if it’s any indication, by 2020, the United States will be the leading manufacturer in the world and will harness the latest technologies to rebuild the industry, gain workers and begin to earn much more equitable profits.

Justin Arbadji is a Marketing Assistant for Rotor Clip Company