WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that Seidel, LLC in Waterbury is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Seidel is a family-owned and operated business founded in 1987 by Michael Ritzenhoff and his father, Hermann. Seidel specializes in anodized and decorative finishes for aluminum alloy parts primarily for the cosmetic industry. Anodizing is an electrochemical process that converts the metal surface into a decorative, durable, corrosion-resistant, anodic oxide finish. Their products are used to make mascara and lipstick cases, caps on perfume bottles and hairsprays, and fine pens.

“Businesses like Seidel are the reason why Connecticut manufactures are the best in the world. For over 30 years, Seidel has stood the test of time, and I look forward to working with Seidel as they continue to grow their business,” said Murphy.

“Over the last 30 years the number of manufacturing companies working in our industry in Connecticut shrank dramatically. Today the Seidel Group is the only company left in Connecticut to offer this wide range of metal working and finishing capabilities to the cosmetic industry. The cost of doing business in Connecticut is higher than in other States and overseas, which means the Seidel Group needs a higher degree of automation than its competitors to be successful. On the other side Connecticut is a beautiful place to live, has a tradition of skilled workers and is close to some of our markets,” said Michael Ritzenhoff, CEO of Seidel.

Seidel currently works out of a 75,000 square foot facility in Waterbury. Seidel recently purchased metal fabrication manufactures Eyelet Crafters and Eyelet Design, bringing their total number of employees to over 200. The three companies are currently working on merging to build a more stable and larger company. The company also works closely with the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) and the Smaller Manufacturers Association of CT, Inc. (SMA-CT).

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating the state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s thousands of manufacturers account for 10% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the BuyAmerican.gov Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.

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