When Holyoke Silk Hosiery Company went out of business in 1938, it left behind an empty building with 37,000 square feet of usable factory space. Holyoke Plastics Inc., a plastic record manufacturer, briefly occupied a portion of the mill from 1940 to 1942.
Noma Electric Industries was one of the largest nationwide firms in the growing field of manufacturing plastic products. This was a New York-based firm, the parent company of Noma Electric Corporation and several other businesses operating in Holyoke.
The company produced a variety of toys, including dogs, tractors, walking dogs, ducks, and wooden toys. The company was also adding a toy seal that could balance a ball on its nose. By 1946, through its own production and the acquisition of other companies, Noma had become one of the largest toy manufacturers in the country.
> In 1943, Connecticut Valley Plastics, a subsidiary of Noma Electric, leased the 178 Sargeant St. factory building. The basement contained ovens and presses for molding and shaping partially completed toys. One of the plastic-shaping machines weighed 300 tons, and in 1946, four more were on order. This unit produced, among other things, Christmas tree light sets and bulbs.
> Pressed Products Co. operated at the former Baker-Vawter mill located at 686 Main Street. Pressed Products subsequently relocated in 1944 to the upper three floors of the Feinstein Building at 176 Race Street and also acquired warehouse space at the former Holyoke Heater Co. building at 90 Sergeant Street.
> Nuevo Industries operated in the Feinstein building at 176 Race Street. This was the doll division, which manufactured and hand-painted the dolls.
> Hadley Manufacturing Co. was located in the Holyoke Gas & Electric Building on Canal Street. This division was responsible for toys and novelties.
> Warehouse space was located at the former Holyoke Heater Company building at 90 Sargeant Street, 532 Main Street, and the Paragon building in Easthampton.
On March 9, 1945, the former Holyoke Silk Hosiery Company plant was purchased by Oak & Sargeant Sts. Corporation, controlled by Noma Electric Company. The purchase price was $32,000, a favorable price, given that the cost to construct the building in 1920 was $225,000.
Also in 1945, Noma absorbed the Connecticut Valley Plastics Company, which was renamed the Noma Plastic Division. The plastics division was in military production, manufacturing mess knife handles for the Pal Blade Company of Holyoke.
Noma Electric Industries moved its condenser unit from New York to 178 Sargeant Street in Holyoke. The condensers or capacitors are used in sonar and radar equipment.
Noma was operating three shifts on Sargeant Street, compensating premium pay for the second and third shifts. Plastic molding was a large part of its business. The business was growing and needed more storage space, so it leased 42,000 square feet at the former American Thread mill on Main Street, owned by Charles Belsky.
In 1951, the Noma Electric Candle was introduced, as seen on many window sills during the holiday season.
Beginning in 1952, Noma Electric Corp. began selling several of its subsidiaries.
In 1957, the company announced employment would increase from 80 to 200 over the next several years. Eleven years prior, the company had 600 employees in all of its divisions.
The forecast for 1957 and the future was not fulfilled, as Noma Electric Corporation sold its Holyoke Plastics Corp. division to a group that incorporated under the name Holyoke Plastics Company Incorporated. Plastic items continued to be manufactured at 178 Sargeant Street with an interesting add-on, which will be revealed in the next installment.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
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