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| Earliest printed catalogs from 90-year-old Zierick Manufacturing Corporation, Mt. Kisco, N. Y., include six of its early Part Numbers which are still in production today -- including Part Number 1. |
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An internationally-known U. S. manufacturer that traces its birth as a family enterprise back to the invention of the crystal radio has begun a celebration of its 90th year in business. Zierick Manufacturing Corporation, manufacturer of connectors and other stamped metal components for the electronics industry, started as a parts fabricator for early radio sets -- called “cat’s whisker” receivers. As this technology began to become practical in the early 1900’s, the F. R. Zierick Machine Works got its start.
In 1919, Fred Zierick and his family made the first set of mounting “tangs” for cat’s whisker radio receivers, so-named because of the very thin wire that lightly touches a natural, mineral semiconducting crystal to detect AM radio broadcasting signals. Zierick’s mounting tangs provided convenient anchoring and electronic connection points for the galena crystals with which scientists and enthusiasts could detect early AM radio signals just as the embryonic radio broadcasting industry was beginning to grow.
When early, prospective customers inquired about the company’s products, Fred’s mother created the first official “company catalogs” at the Zierick family dining room table in Westchester County, N. Y., sewing actual sample parts to durable paper stock for mailing. A diverse assortment of applications for connecting other electronic components followed.
As the company grew, so did the need for proprietary, fast, and increasingly sophisticated production equipment. After fighting in Europe in 1944, machine gun crew member Russell Zierick, Fred’s son, came home and launched a series of innovations that improved Zierick presses, making them run at high speeds more like some of the machine guns he had heard there.
Quality and accuracy have always been Zierick hallmarks. In its manufacturing operations, Zierick Manufacturing was among the early adopters of extremely precise Electrical Discharge Machining systems to meet the exacting specifications and close tolerances for which the company is known.
With the invention of printed circuit board technology in the early 1940s, Zierick used its experience to stay at the forefront. It developed and sold connection components as well as equipment allowing fast, accurate mounting of electronic parts to PCBs and quick connections from one circuit board to another.
As a leader in this field, Zierick is credited with providing innovative products and solutions to meet the complex interconnection requirements of world-famous Cray Supercomputers. Recently, thousands of Zierick electronic connectors, so small that 10 could fit on the head of a penny, assured the spectacular performance of New York City’s brilliant new, energy-efficient, 100th Anniversary Times Square ball.
In addition, the company was recently named the recipient of the prestigious Higgins-Caditz Award presented by the Precision Metalforming Association in its annual “Awards of Excellence in Metalforming” competition. This honor provided global recognition of Zierick’s unique and innovative new Surface Mount Insulation Piercing Crimp Terminal and the tools that quickly and easily terminate a wire to Surface Mount printed circuit boards. As with many Zierick innovations, this new system features unique advantages including reduced production costs, improved reliability, and faster processing speeds. It also is the result of a continuous cooperative effort with customers, answering their call for problem-solving innovations while expanding the company’s array of patented products and services.
Third generation company President Gretchen Zierick believes that the company’s team-based focus on engineering and process improvements will keep the company growing as new markets develop. “We enjoy the challenges of solving customer problems -- they usually lead us to ideas for new products. And we’re always looking for better ways to make the ones we a lready offer.”
Beyond connections, Zierick has also been a source for fast-turnaround solutions from concept to delivery. Countless customers have called upon Zierick for emergency parts to feed assembly lines, knowing that stamping, part production and plating are kept all under one roof.
Today, Zierick believes in an integrated approach to design for manufacture and assembly (I-DFMA), working with customers to determine the ideal product for their application. In this way, customers can move more efficiently and economically from design concept to successful assembly. Through this collaborative process, Zierick engineers have developed many industry breakthroughs in durability, reliability, and efficiency.
Zierick offers a wide range of surface mount and through hole connectors and assembly equipment to support this approach. Depending on the application, customers can choose from a broad inventory of standard products from the firm’s patented family of interconnect products designed for increased reliability, or a custom solution.
Headquartered in Mount Kisco, New York, USA, Zierick's manufacturing and R&D facilities are ISO 9001:2008 approved, reflecting a total commitment to quality.
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