You’ve probably driven past 180 Van Riper Avenue a dozen times without ever thinking twice about what’s happening inside that 52,000-square-foot facility. From the outside, it looks like just another industrial building in a borough known for its paper mills and blue-collar roots. But honestly, Kreisler Elmwood Park NJ is one of the most critical links in the global aerospace supply chain.
If you've ever flown on a commercial jet or followed the development of military aircraft, you’ve likely relied on something built right here in Bergen County. We aren't talking about screws or bolts. We are talking about complex, high-pressure tube assemblies and manifolds that keep engines from exploding or failing at 30,000 feet.
From Jewelry to Jet Engines: The Pivot You Didn't Expect
It sounds like a movie plot, but it's real history. Back in 1914, Kreisler started out as a jewelry company. They made watchbands. They made lighters and those fancy pen-and-pencil sets your grandfather might have kept in his breast pocket.
Then World War II hit.
The U.S. government needed precision manufacturing, and they needed it fast. In the early 1940s, Curtiss-Wright—a massive aviation name at the time—approached Kreisler. They basically asked: "If you can make intricate jewelry, can you make the rigid pipes for our aircraft engines?"
They could.
By the 1970s, the company had ditched the jewelry and lighters entirely to focus on the sky. They moved their headquarters to Elmwood Park in 1960 and have been a staple of the local economy ever since. They went from making shiny accessories to becoming a Tier 1 supplier for giants like General Electric, Rolls-Royce, and Pratt & Whitney.
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What Actually Happens Inside Kreisler Industrial?
Most people assume "manufacturing" means a bunch of robots doing the same thing over and over. That’s not really the vibe at Kreisler. Because they deal with tube fabrication and complex manifolds for jet engines, the work is incredibly specialized.
Think about the fluid in a jet engine. You’ve got fuel, oil, water, and hydraulic fluid all rushing through narrow tubes under extreme heat and pressure. If one of those tubes fails, the engine fails.
At the Elmwood Park site, they do it all in-house.
- CNC Bending: Using high-tech machines to bend metal with surgical precision.
- Hydroforming: Using high-pressure fluid to shape metal into complex geometries.
- Brazing and Welding: Joining metals in a way that can withstand thousands of degrees.
- Non-Destructive Testing: They use X-rays and fluorescent penetrant to find cracks the human eye can't see.
Honestly, the tech stack is wild. They were one of the early adopters of 3D printing and 5-axis machining in the NJ manufacturing scene. It's why they've managed to survive when so many other American factories shuttered or moved overseas.
The Big Corporate Shift: STS Aerospace and Arlington Capital
If you look for a sign that says "Kreisler Manufacturing Corp" today, you might see something different. In 2016, a private equity firm called Arlington Capital Partners scooped up Kreisler. They folded it into a larger entity called United Flexible, which eventually became part of STS Aerospace.
Don't let the name change fool you. The Elmwood Park facility is still the heart of the operation.
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The merger was basically about scale. By joining forces with other brands like Titeflex and Scotia Technology, the Elmwood Park team gained access to a global network. They now have "sister" sites in places like France and India, but the specialized "fixed tube" knowledge still lives on Van Riper Ave.
Why This Matters for Elmwood Park
Elmwood Park has a reputation for being a "tough" town with deep industrial roots. You have the Marcal Paper plant—which everyone knows because of the sign—and then you have Kreisler.
Kreisler employs over 100 people. These aren't just "jobs"; they are highly skilled positions for machine operators, engineers, and quality inspectors. When a company like this gets a $100 million long-term agreement (which they did back in 2014), it stabilizes the local economy for years.
The Reality of Working in Aerospace Manufacturing
Let’s be real for a second: it’s high-stress work.
I was looking through some old obituaries and career reviews recently—like for Edward Jan Kowal, a machine operator who spent nearly a decade there. These folks take immense pride in what they do because they know the stakes. In the aerospace world, a "minor error" isn't a minor error. It's a catastrophe.
That’s why the company is obsessed with "Continuous Improvement." They even have a dedicated office (the OCI) just to analyze production data and fix tiny inefficiencies. It's a "measure twice, cut once" culture on steroids.
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Misconceptions About the Company
A lot of people think Kreisler is just a "parts shop." That’s wrong.
They provide design and development services. They don't just wait for a blueprint to show up; they often help the big engine manufacturers figure out how to build the part in the first place. They are partners in the engineering process, not just a pair of hands.
Another common mistake? People think the company is still publicly traded under the ticker KRSL. It isn't. Since the acquisition, it’s been privately held. If you're looking to buy stock, you're a few years too late.
Actionable Takeaways for Businesses and Job Seekers
If you’re a local or a business professional looking at the "Kreisler model," here is what you can learn from their 100-year survival:
- Pivot or Die: Moving from jewelry to aerospace saved this company. If your current market is shrinking, look at where your core skills (like precision metalwork) can be applied elsewhere.
- Vertical Integration is Key: By doing their own heat treating, welding, and testing in Elmwood Park, they eliminated the "middleman" delays that kill most manufacturers.
- Certifications are the Moat: They are Nadcap-accredited. In the aerospace world, these certifications are like a fortress. They are incredibly hard to get and even harder to keep, which keeps cheaper, low-quality competitors away.
If you’re looking for work in the area, keep an eye on the STS Aerospace careers page rather than searching for "Kreisler." They are almost always looking for CNC machinists and NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) inspectors who can handle the pressure of Bergen County’s most important factory.
To learn more about the current projects at the Van Riper Avenue site, you can visit the official STS Aerospace website to see how the Elmwood Park branch fits into their global fluid transfer solutions.