Qualastat is the embodiment of what many consider to be the American dream. Cashing out his 401(k) and borrowing on credit cards, Vernon Judy Sr. began Qualastat in the basement of his home in Sparta, New Jersey in April of 1986. Since then, Qualastat has grown to 2 locations providing over 30,000 square feet in manufacturing space and is a trusted supplier to quality companies like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Halliburton Energy.The company's first opportunity was to reverse engineer a flexible circuit assembly, which led to Qualastat's origin as a manufacturer of flex circuit assemblies. Opportunities involving cable assemblies and wire harnesses quickly followed, and Qualastat was on its way to becoming a fully operational manufacturer of interconnection systems. It was a struggle, yet within 2 years of the company's birth, there were a half-dozen employees and operations were moved from the Judy family home to a humble, leased space.Seeking a more favorable business climate, the company moved to Gettysburg, PA in February of 1988. Shortly thereafter, the Department of Defense began downsizing. As a result, Qualastat was forced to refocus its business model. An effort was put forth to become a supplier to OEM's (Original Equipment Manufacturers) requiring high quality product rather than the cheapest bid available. This broadened the company's customer base and provided business relationships upon which to build a future.In the late 90's, high-volume manufacturing began moving to the lower wage countries of Mexico, China, and India. To adapt to a changing market place, Qualastat focused on a low-volume, high-variety mix of product. This change mandated the hire of additional technicians and engineering staff. To support this vision, a 13,175 square foot engineering and corporate center was opened in Chandler, AZ, a suburb of Phoenix, in June of 2010. The Southeast corner of Phoenix, where Chandler is located, is a technology corridor home to companies such as Intel.
We've been through a lot in our 35 plus years. We've enjoyed times of great economic growth, and we've weathered down-turns in the economy such as the fall-out from the Great Recession of 2008 and sequestration in 2013. Through it all, we've kept the course, learned lessons, and accepted that there will be good times and bad. Yet, if we remain financially disciplined, retain a talented team, and make the most of our opportunities to support our customers we'll be here for many more years to come.
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