By Brooke Thomson
President & CEO

Tech Etch in many ways mirrors the evolution of the Massachusetts economy.

Since its founding in 1964, Tech Etch has evolved from a small photo chemical etching business into a leading manufacturer of precision-engineered components, flexible printed circuits, and EMI/RFI (electromagnetic interference) shielding.  The company’s commitment to excellence begins with employee-owners who provide world-class services and innovative comprehensive solutions that enhance lives globally by partnering with leading global customers in the aerospace, alternative energy, military, medical, telecommunication, and electronics industries. The solutions ensure unmatched precision, quality, and attention to detail in every project, every time.

Tech Etch has more than 600 employee-owners across three locations in the United States (Plymouth, Fall River, and Litchfield, MN). The corporate headquarters is located at a 150,000-square-foot facility in Plymouth that handles engineering, manufacturing, photochemical machining, laser cutting, electroplating for aerospace, medical, and defense applications. There is also a state-of-the-art Innovation Center equipped with leading-edge technology, expert engineering, and top-of-the-line software to help customers quickly prototype new products and a Laser Cell Center that provides customers with equipment such as CO2, fiber optics, and YAG lasers to seamlessly translate design specifications into precise cuts.

Tech Etch sold 30 percent of the company to employees in 1999 through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and in 2018, they all became 100 percent employee owners. Four years later, Tech Etch was named the New England ESOP company of the year.  And now, Tech Etch is the recipient of AIM’s Excellence in Manufacturing Award for May. I was pleased to present the award during a visit to the company’s Plymouth facility on June 18.

Tech Etch represents the resilience, adaptability and innovation that has made Massachusetts a global economic center. It also provides a compelling lesson on the ways in which successful businesses create economic prosperity for their employees, their families, and communities. Employee ownership remains the core of Tech Etch’s growth and success, according to the company.

“When the people who handle the day-to-day work at a company have an investment in the organization, they take pride in the work that they do. They work harder and care more about the service, products, customers, and partners,” said Richard Cammarano, President and CEO.

“Our shareholders are our employees. It raises the stakes. As a manager, you must be aware that not only are you dealing with an employee, but an owner too.”

The art and science of manufacturing built the Massachusetts economy, from Charles Goodyear producing the first vulcanized tire in Woburn in 1813 to bioscience companies like Takeda producing state-of-the-art medicines in the Commonwealth today. And though manufacturing companies employ about half the number of people they did three decades ago, the sector remains a critical conduit for economic opportunity and advancement.

It’s one of the reasons that AIM devotes much of its public-policy efforts to supporting manufacturers in areas such as taxation, sustainability, energy, and regulation.

Approximately 230,000 people work at manufacturing companies here, 7 percent of the Commonwealth’s total non-farm payroll. Manufacturing is expected to contribute $64 billion in economic output this year – 9.6 percent of the Massachusetts gross state product.

Tech Etch uses its manufacturing expertise to make everything from circuits used in implants, ultrasounds and patient monitoring systems, to EMI shielding products for the military. In addition, Tech Etch manufactures key components towards the success of fuel cell technology including bipolar plates for both Solid-Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) and Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC).

Outside the walls of the headquarters, Tech Etch is deeply connected with the communities in which they live and work. The company has donated millions of dollars over the years to a variety of local nonprofits, including one of their largest donations to the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth in which the hospital dedicated the Medical Imaging Center to Tech Etch. The company believes it is its responsibility to help one another and support the people on the front lines of delivering care to their community. It’s vitally important to give health-care heroes the tools they need to protect and save the local community, one human at a time, changing the world for the better.

Cammarano understands the larger significance of manufacturing in Massachusetts. “We don’t really make products. We make parts that are integrated into systems that save and enhance lives.”

So, while the history of manufacturing is inspiring, the future of the industry with Tech Etch looks even brighter.