Three years ago, Army National Guard veteran John Bonislawski launched Homeland Manufacturing Services in his 300-square-foot basement.
Sixteen months ago, the young company moved into 2,000 square feet, and then in late May, Bonislawski cut the ribbon on a 5,000-square-foot facility with another 5,000 square feet available for immediate expansion.
HMS is a full-service electronics manufacturing company serving the defense, medical, satellite communications, sensor, agricultural and other markets. The company assembles electronic circuit cards, cable assemblies and box-build assemblies for original equipment manufacturers, defense contractors and research organizations in the U.S. and Canada.
The new facility was purpose-built for electronics manufacturing, including the environmental controls and high-output lighting necessary to assemble extremely small electronic components.
“Our new high-speed production line is capable of placing the smallest electronic components on circuit boards at a rate of 22,000 parts per hour,” explains Bonislawski. “Our new placement machine also includes electrical verification of many electronic components, further strengthening our core philosophy of defect prevention vs. defect detection. We are equipped to assemble even the most complex circuit cards.”
Bonislawski reports that HMS's sales have more than doubled each year and will double again this year even without new business.
“With 100 percent of the profits reinvested back into the company we now have the same manufacturing capabilities of companies many times larger,” he adds.
An underlying goal is to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. and specifically to Centre County.
“For more than 20 years I have worked in industry and watched U.S. manufacturing jobs being shipped off-shore to save a few pennies,” says Bonislawski. “After two decades of outsourcing electronics manufacturing off-shore, I believe that U.S. companies are finally figuring out that when considering the cost of poor quality, late deliveries, rising global transportation costs, uncertainty protecting their intellectual property, poor customer service and many bad experiences…manufacturing electronics in the U.S. is more attractive than ever and a better overall value for the customer.”
Source: John Bonislawski, Homeland Manufacturing Services
Writer: Elise Vider