Trade.Information

Company Name: Hardigg Military Cases

Company Type: Manufacturing

Company Profile

In 1954, Jim Hardigg founded Hardigg Industries, Inc., in a one-room office in Washington, DC. A mechanical engineer with five years' experience in the aircraft gas turbine division of a large company, Jim saw the need for a safer, more reliable means of shipping aircraft and missile parts. He began making cushioning devices of polyurethane foam, cooking the first prototypes in his mother's oven. A few months later, he moved his operation into part of a small building in Bethesda, Maryland. An ad in the paper brought part-time help from Scotty Spink and John Miller. The three fitted boxes with the cushioning devices Jim had invented, launching the first Hardigg product into the market. In 1956, the fledgling company moved to an old grain mill outside of Boston. There the three men produced a type of cushioned package that gained acceptance with the electronics companies along Route 128. In 1958, Hardigg moved the business to western Massachusetts, renting part of a mill building in South Hadley Falls. Norm Barstow and Joe Strzegowski joined the growing company. Today they serve as chief packaging engineer and chief engineer, respectively. In 1961, Hardigg Industries, Inc. settled in South Deerfield, breaking ground on a new facility. Innovation did not stop there. In 1970, Hardigg Industries, Inc. produced its first rotomolded container, finally fitting its own cushioning systems into its own boxes. Hardigg was the first case manufacturer to make a rotomolded container that was both airtight and watertight. Hardigg was the first to mold stainless steel inserts into cases, adding hundreds of pounds of pull strength to latches and hinges, and it was the first to design containers with interlocking ribs, making them more stable when stacked. Before engaging Hardigg as a military case supplier, our military customers used wood and metal boxes. Hardigg was the first to supply them with plastic cases. Today, Hardigg employs more than 400 people. The original South Deerfield headquarters has expanded into a 275,000 square foot manufacturing facility with an on-site testing lab, and a two-storey, 25,000 square foot office building. Our products are used to ship and store government, military, industrial, emergency, high-tech, and homeland security equipment. With distribution centers in Europe, California, Texas, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, Massachusetts, and a nationwide network of dealers, Hardigg has come a long way from our humble beginnings in a one-room office in Washington, D.C. Hardigg has never abandoned its original mission: to make cases that are as light as they are rugged. To keep costs down and build good relationships. Over the past fifty years, shipping and storage products grown and changed, but Hardigg values have not. Hardigg is engineering a better case for protection. Every day.

About Company

For fifty years, our customers have trusted us to protect their most valuable equipment. Our plastic containers and interior foam cushioning systems are carefully engineered to exacting standards. Light yet durable, as well as watertight, heat-resistant, and shock-proof, our rotomolded plastic containers have made Hardigg a leader among military packaging material suppliers. Innovations like the first airtight, watertight rotomolded cases keep us ahead of the curve. Before engaging Hardigg, our military customers used wood and metal containers. We were the first military packaging material suppliers to provide the military with plastic containers. Today, our customers in government and military include the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Special Forces, Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Secret Service, and local police forces. Mission Statement "We will provide best-value solutions for our customers through innovative products that consistently meet or exceed requirements. We will continually improve the organization and our quality management system through teamwork, technology, personal development, system improvements, and lean-methods." Without them, we wouldn't be where we are today. By listening to our customers, we have learned what they need. Together we set goals, challenging our engineers to create products ideally suited to meet those requirements. In 2004, we launched a new line of medical cases. That same year, we introduced our injection-molded personal weapons cases. Customer feedback fuels innovation at Hardigg. As we've grown, we've remained true to our roots as a privately owned family business. Jim Hardigg's objective, in 1954, was "to create and maintain a company where people can do a share of the nation's work under good working conditions and receive their fair share of the nation's income." Under his guidance, we have grown from a one-man shop to the largest manufacturing facility in the military packaging industry. Every day, 400+ employees design, create, and deliver thousands of rugged plastic containers with intelligence and speed. Trust, hard work, teamwork, and a shared dedication to continual improvement have brought us a long way. By listening to our customers and reaffirming those core values, we expect to remain a leader among military packaging material suppliers, and continue our record of growth