BJA News

NEWS

June 23rd, 2008 Richard Helle, President of Bob Johnson Associates, is featured in a Worcester Business Journal article.

November 17th, 2008 BJA Magnetics is certified by the State Office of Minority and Woman Business Assistance as a Woman Owned Small Business.

January 29th, 2009 BJA Magnetics receives an award for outstanding vendor performance.

February 24th, 2009 BJA makes its debut at Sebring Racetrack.

Company Sailing With Wind Power

BJA Magnetics Builds Turbine Parts

RUTLAND — One of BJA Magnetics’ products is so small it can pass through the eye of a needle. Another of its magnets now under design will weigh a little over 7 pounds, but have the attractive power to lift 1,000 pounds.

And with a push into the wind turbine industry, the small specialty magnet company is hoping to attract a slew of new customers.

BJA Magnetics is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bob Johnson Associates Inc., a family-owned business at 81 Main St.

Since 2003, when it was purchased by Janice Helle, the company has moved away from its traditional business of capital equipment for tool making and plastics manufacturing, and into design and production of magnets for gyroscopes, sensors, medical and surgical devices, motors, generators and other high technology and industrial applications.

One of the products in its Micro-Magnet line is thinner than a sewing needle and is used as a locator device at the tip of a medical catheter.

Last year, BJA entered the wind turbine field, producing magnets for the turbine generators. The company’s magnets are used in the 100-kilowatt turbine manufactured by Northern Power of Vermont and erected at Nature’s Classroom in Charlton last month.

Richard D. Helle, president, and husband of Janice Helle, said BJA Magnetics is now developing a larger magnet that would work with a 2-megawatt wind turbine now being designed, he said.

“Wind power is our new market niche,” he said. “… We do prototyping here.”

In addition to designing magnets and prototypes for clients, BJA Magnetics does some manufacturing and assembling in its Rutland headquarters and hires some American machine shops for some products. Mr. Helle said much of the product is received from China, machined or customized to a client’s specifications and put through electronic equipment that magnetizes the pieces.

“We’ve been devotees of green energy,” he said. “It’s a natural segue to wind power.”

Mr. Helle had worked at Presmet Corp. in Worcester until 1980, then worked at other technology firms, including Dexter Magnetic Technologies Inc., before his work at BJA Magnetics.

A wind power show in Texas last year drew about 13,000 people, said project manager Kristin R. Hojnoski. This month’s Chicago Wind Power Expo, at which the company exhibited, drew 23,000, she said. BJA Magnetics met 120 potential new customers, she said.

“If we capture even 5 percent of that, our business would grow significantly,” Mr. Helle said.

“We are going after turbine builders, big and small,” Ms. Hojnoski added.

Tax credits and incentives under the federal stimulus plan, as well as the state’s Green Communities Act, will give wind power a needed push, Mr. Helle said.

“The effect for us is a trickle-down effect,” he said.

He would not discuss sales numbers, other than to say BJA Magnetics did less than $10 million in business last year. It doubled its staff over the last two years to 10 employees, he said.