SYRACUSE ? “It’s been my dream to have the continuation of the family business,” says Charles (Chuck) Wart, Jr., president and owner of Babbitt Bearings, Inc., a 65-year-old Syracuse–based bearing manufacturer.

Chuck Wart’s father and uncle — brothers Charles and Daniel Wart — founded a tool and die company on July 1, 1943. His mother, Marian Wart — now 93 years old — also worked at the factory. After the first decade, the brothers integrated bearing technology into the manufacturing process, says Wart. In the 1970s, the company’s name was changed to Babbitt Bearings.

Younger brother Thomas (Tom) Wart retired from the company in 1997.

Now Chuck Wart’s daughter, Michelle Capozza and his niece, Tracy Stevenson, are vice presidents.

Cappozza has worked at Babbitt for 20 years and is in charge of the floor, working closely with Director of Operations Bill Reigel and Director of Manufacturing Roland Ryan.

Stevenson is in charge of the human resources, administrative, and financial side of the business, says Wart. She graduated from Le Moyne College in 2003 with a major in human-resource management and industrial relations. She has worked at Babbitt since 1996.

Wart has worked at the family business since 1958. The 64-year-old now tries to work only three days a week, but has no definite plans to retire. No formal arrangements have been made for a sole successor. “This is a family business,” says Wart. The company manufactures the Babbitt-lined bearings used in the turbine and compressor industries. Customers provide blueprints for the bearings. Then an alloy of tin, antimony and copper — called Babbitt metal — is melted and poured onto shells constructed of brass, steel, or copper.

Machining techniques, such as turning, grinding and milling, are then used to give these Babbitted bearings a smooth shape. If bearings become scored because of improper lubrication, the parts can be rebabbitted at the factory.

Wart says the demand for these bearings has not changed over the past three years. In this tough economy, he will be happy to maintain current manufacturing levels. And customers are predicting just that for next year, he says.

When the company’s customers in the turbine and compressor industries engineer new products, those designs are provided to Babbitt Bearings. The Syracuse company then produces the bearings to its client’s specifications.

Babbitt Bearings is always looking at new, more modern equipment to produce the bearings more economically, says Wart. The company invested $600,000 in new machinery and tools in the last nine months. These computerized-numerical-control mills, lathes, and grinders speed the production process per bearing.

Making bearings is very labor intensive. Ten percent of the cost of production is materials, he says, and 90 percent of the cost is labor.

Despite this, Babbitt has about 10 more employees than three years ago. Four new management positions and half a dozen new hourly positions have brought the company’s work force to about 80, says Wart.

The modern machines allow a second shift to run in the factory. That generates more production runs and reduced labor time per bearing, which enables the company to manage its labor costs, Wart explains.

M&T Bank has been Babbitt’s primary lender almost from the beginning, says Wart. The bank has helped the company build additions to the factory and buy capital equipment, he adds. Some of the company’s clients include Carrier Corp.’s Syracuse facility; Atlas Copco Comptec Inc. of Voorheesville, N.Y.; Cameron, Inc. in Buffalo; Elliott Company, Jeannette, Pa.; Sundyne Corp., Arvada, Colo.; and Rolls Royce Energy Systems, Inc., Mt. Vernon, Ohio.

Some key vendors for Babbitt include Ral-Rich Tool and Abrasive, Inc., Harrison Industrial Supply Inc. and Murphy and Nolan, Inc., all located in Syracuse, and Marmon/Keystone in Butler, Pa.

Babbitt Bearings’ competitors include Orion Corp., Grafton, Wis.; Waukesha Bearings, Pewaukee, Wis.; and Pioneer Motor Bearing, Kings Mountain, N.C. But these companies all have their own niche, and don’t compete directly too much, says Wart.

Babbitt Bearings’ annual revenue of about $10 million has not changed significantly during the past three years, Wart says he wants to see the company continue this trend and survive the tough economy.

On July 3, the company held an open house at its city-block-sized factory celebrating 65 years of manufacturing in Syracuse.

CEO PROFILE
Charles (Chuck) Wart, Jr.
President and owner
Babbitt Bearings, Inc.

• Age: 64
• Education: 1962 graduate of Central Technical High School, Syracuse, specialized in machine shop at this vocational school
• Residence: Sandy Creek
• Family: Wife, Silke Wart; daughters, Jennifer LaPointe, Suzanne Alperin and Michelle Capozza; niece, Tracy Stevenson
• Year became CEO: 1994, following the death of his father, Charles Wart
• Favorite part of the job: Customer contact, includes servicing, getting the parts out the door, and making sales calls
• Hobbies: Boating on Sandy Pond and working around the house

COMPANY FACTS
Babbitt Bearings, Inc.
734 Burnet Ave.
Syracuse, N.Y. 13203
Phone: (315) 479-6603
Fax: (315) 479-5013
www.babbitt-inc.com

• Type of business: Manufacturer of Babbitt-lined bearings
• Year founded: 1943
• Employees: 80
• Headquarters square footage: 60,000 square feet
• Company officers: Charles Wart Jr., president and owner; Michelle Capozza, vice president; Tracy Stevenson, vice president; Bill Beigel, director of operations; Roland Ryan, director of manufacturing
• Annual revenue: About $10 million