Lincoln Electric Products manufactures custom switchboards and panel boards for clients throughout New York.

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For the past two years, one of the biggest challenges Lincoln Electric Products Co. has faced is staying on the cutting-edge of technology, Vice President Matthew Leff says. During that time, the company has purchased two new CNC machines, transitioned from 2-D to 3-D design software and implemented advanced materials requirements planning and customer relationship management systems.

Lincoln Electric Products is a custom switchboard and panel board manufacturer that provides equipment such as switchboards, panel boards, enclosed switches and circuit breakers, custom metal fabrication, busway, transformers, and metering and monitoring solutions. The company serves corporate and commercial clients in New York.

Lincoln Electric Products has worked with clients such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York Times, United States Air Force Academy, World Financial Center at Battery Park, AOL/Time Warner and J.P. Morgan Chase.

“The one thing we are known for is supplying the finest equipment to New York City,” President Bruce Leff notes. “We’ve been known for our quality equipment for the past 60 years.”

Obtaining the latest technology is critical because customers’ requirements have increased in complexity. For instance, in addition to manufacturing equipment for lighting systems, doorways and elevators, customers now need more sophisticated technology to use for data centers, critical power and other advanced applications.

Currently the company is performing renovations to the Fox News headquarters in New York. “It is trying to increase its presence and be more of a driving force in the business and headline news arenas and our equipment will help facilitate that,” he says. It is also working on completing projects for the Bank of America tower in Bryant Park and the new Goldman Sachs World headquarters.

New Trends
One of the biggest trends Lincoln Electric has noticed recently is the increasing popularity of co-generation, Matthew Leff says, because it allows users to utilize another energy source, such as natural gas, to offset needs from the utilities company.    

Another popular project is metering and monitoring packages that allow owners to monitor power usage without the help of a utility company. This type of system has become more popular in the industry for building owners and tenants, he adds. Other trends also include purchasing bulk power as well as power at a higher voltage. “It provides a cost savings and it gives the buyer control over the power,” he says.

Lincoln Electric prides itself for going above and beyond its customers’ needs. “We manufacture products, but we are almost more of a service company,” he says. “We strive to get products to someone when they need it. We go above and beyond in terms of timeframe requirements.”

Family Firm
Lincoln Electric focuses on training employees for the life of their career. The company has 40 employees with 16 in shop positions. “We take time into training our people, whether in engineering or manufacturing,” Matthew Leff says. “We try to make sure people are here to stay. Two ways we try to foster growth and improvement in our employees is through sponsoring educational programs and on-the-job training.”

That also alleviates the need to watch its employees closely, he adds. “We try not to micromanage,” he says. “They do what’s required of them.”

The company is family owned, and its corporate culture reflects that. “It is run as a family company,” Leff explains. “Everyone is close since there are a limited number of employees.”

Lincoln Electric is in its third generation, which is a very rare accomplishment, Bruce Leff points out. “That shows our strength and how people feel about us.”

New Business Opportunities
The economy has impacted the type of projects available to the company. For example, Lincoln Electric performed many projects for financial companies like Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns or Barclays, two of which are no longer here today.   

In addition, that sector as a whole has slowed down greatly, Leff says. However, other sectors are picking up, he notes. The company is looking to be involved in a more diverse range of sectors such as government work and the hospitality market.

“I think that the hardest thing to do is adapt to the changing business environment but keep the core strategies the same,” he says. “For Lincoln, our No. 1 core value is service to our customers.
“We are looking to provide more of that, increase the standards on our product line and branch out to other areas in the country.

“One way we plan to do that is by uncovering untapped niche markets,” he says. “We also are always looking for new applications for existing products to broaden their spectrum of use.”