The period of growth continues for this major Holyoke manufacturer. The company had acquired the former Marvellum plant in early 1975, which neighbors its central plant, adding 160,000 square feet of factory space. An air walk was planned to connect the buildings.
The plant was in the process of erecting a specially designed German-made binding machine, which will extend the product line to a greater variety of books. Also, a new state-of-the-art punch machine was expected from Kansas, which would increase efficiency. The plant employed 200 workers in 1975. There was a recent layoff of 50 skilled workers, as inventories were built up. It was hoped that the employees would soon be rehired before accepting other jobs elsewhere.
In 1977, the company undertook a $300,000 energy conservation effort. Some older windows were replaced with insulated glass. Additionally, some machinery was moved to the Marvellum wing, which was producing paper and cardboard products for chain stores and private concerns. The company had 300,000 square feet of factory space and employed 180 workers at this time. The company would eventually operate on the first two floors of the main plant and the Marvellum plant to conserve energy. The unused upper three floors of the plants would be used for storage.
In April 1978, John I. Robinson was elected president of the company. He had been a director since 1947. Richard G. Quimper was re-elected treasurer, and A. Allen Aaron, the company accountant, was elected as a director.
In August 1978, Jennie Shaine Dorenbaum died. She had been president of the company for 27 years, succeeding her father William Shaine upon his death in 1951.
Much of the company's early success was due to William Shaine's ingenuity. His expertise in repurposing equipment was noteworthy. He converted a machine from RCA that made record covers into one that would produce address book covers. It was still in service in 1979, 50 years later. The company brought in machines used in the shoe business and converted them to make laces for scrapbooks and other products, and to make eyelets in the covers and pages of album covers.
Many of the employees had been employed for 20, 30 years or more. Much of the work was done by hand, so finger dexterity was critical to the process.
In 1982, Robert B. Shaine was identified as the corporation's president. In 1982, he orchestrated the purchase of Robinson Reminders, Inc., a Westfield, Massachusetts-based business. The factory in Westfield would be closed, and 60 workers would be transferred to Holyoke.
Shortly thereafter, negotiations were underway to purchase an unnamed New York-based business, adding another 60 to 80 jobs to the Holyoke plant. In 1982, the company was approved for a $2.7 million bond to acquire the New York company and relocate it to Holyoke. The next step was to win approval from the Massachusetts Industrial Finance Agency. The bond would call for a lower interest rate than would otherwise be available through conventional channels, such as banks.
In 1982, the newly rebranded SPM Manufacturing Company was awarded a $3 million contract from the U. S. Government Services Administration to furnish 2.5 million three-ring binders over 11 months. Another large contract was a multi-million-dollar agreement to provide dictionaries and other reference materials to a New York-based concern over the next 7 years.
The company needed additional help to fulfill orders and placed an ad for 40 workers. 750 applications were received for those seeking work. The economy had weakened, and many applicants were from those who had lost their positions in other industries. The positions advertised included casemaking machine operators andhelpers, laminating machine operators and helpers, assembly workers, and shipping assistants.
Although statistics were not available, press clippings stated that, throughout its long history, most employees were women.
SPM Manufacturing purchased Spindex Corporation of Long Island City, New York, creating 60 additional jobs. From 1980 to 1983, the company grew from 150 employees to 500 workers. It was anticipated that more employees would be needed to fill its existing large contracts.
In 1983, a vote was held regarding unionizing the plant with the local Teamsters Union. The attempt was defeated by a 2-to-1 margin.
In 1985, the company opened a factory store at its 20 Appleton Street entrance to sell surplus inventory. Some of theitems available for sale were leather attaches, retractable handle portfolios, bonded leather pad holders and folders, canvas sacks and packs, photo albums, address books, etc.
A significant government contract and a bankruptcy proceeding by a major customer adversely affected the Springfield Photo Mount Company's cash flow. More will be revealed as this chronology unfolds in the final chapter.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
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