AMALCO WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1910 AND IS A FOURTH-GENERATION, FAMILYOWNED BUSINESS.
Henry Brucker, born in 1874 in Newark, New Jersey, was the oldest of nine children. At the age of ten, Henry’s father died, and he assumed the responsibility of becoming the family’s sole provider. His first job was working at a hat factory as a mail runner, and he later became a hat former and blocker. At the age of 13, Henry worked for U.S. Electric (now Westinghouse) and later became a foreman over five boys operating nail machines on a production line.
Henry’s infatuation with aluminum started when he was attracted to an article written in Scientific America about the discovery of light metal aluminum and its possible uses. He later saw an advertisement for a 3″ scale made of aluminum, said to be as light as a feather. “Looks like silver and strong as steel. Send10¢ for sample.” That was the beginning of Henry’s career in aluminum.
Henry’s fascination with aluminum continued as he secured employment working for metal fabricating companies doing brazing, operating foot and power presses, as well as all other secondary operations associated with metal forming. At age 22, he was experienced in a number of manufacturing processes, including aluminum. He was a good problem solver and liked to read articles on production. His early experiences working with aluminum and his supervisory abilities led him to the New Jersey Aluminum Company, where he spent the next 14 years of his life. It was a period of rapid expansion for aluminum and its uses.
In 1910 the New Jersey Aluminum Co. was purchased by the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company, and its operations were moved to the Midwest. This provided the impetus for Henry Brucker to go ahead with his plans for a business of his own. In October, 1910 he rented a few hundred square feet in a loft building in Newark, New Jersey, and purchased a spinning lathe. Henry was in business! His first products were popular aluminum specialties of that era — tea balls and drinking cups.
Henry’s special skills, talents, knowledge, and enthusiasm for the metal forming business have been passed down through four generations of the Brucker family. After starting with aluminum cups and novelty items in 1910, our products now include a wide range of consumer, industrial, and defenserelated parts. Having long outgrown our original shop in Newark, New Jersey, Amalco is now located in a 60,000 square foot facility in Mountainside, New Jersey. We’re a vertically integrated metal forming company specializing in custom and standard enclosures made by deep drawing or hydroforming technologies.
