Century-old ULA Corporation credits local workforce and modernization for staying in Hunts Point

Matthew Feldman, co-president of ULA Corporation, discussed the company’s 100-year history on Bronx Talk and described why Hunts Point remains a manufacturing location for the firm.

Feldman said ULA has been manufacturing since 1926 and has been located in Hunts Point since 1955. He described the company’s evolution from supplying steam-heated hot-water systems to apartment buildings to producing high-spec equipment for oil, gas, chemical and pharmaceutical customers. “So we moved into oil and gas chemical high-spec custom equipment and really the big move for us was moving into manufacturing for the pharmaceutical market in the 80s onward,” he said.

When asked what a heat exchanger does, Feldman explained the basic function: it transfers heat from one fluid to another without mixing the two. He said the company relies heavily on local labor: “70% of our workforce is lives in the Bronx,” Feldman said, and the company emphasizes hiring locally and training employees in specialized welding and fabrication skills that are not always available from trade schools.

Feldman described modernization steps since 2008: moving from manual machining to computer numerical control (CNC) equipment to improve efficiency and consistency, and bringing in a lean-manufacturing consultant during the COVID period to find process improvements. He credited those operational changes with recent growth and said the company plans centennial celebrations and continued investments in fabrication.

Why it matters: ULA’s account illustrates how long-established manufacturers in Hunts Point combine local hiring, in-house training and technology upgrades to remain competitive in specialized industrial markets. The company’s local hiring rate and training emphasis are relevant to discussions about workforce development and bringing manufacturing jobs to the Bronx.

The company did not announce specific expansion plans, public subsidies or contract awards during the conversation; Feldman said the firm continues to pursue projects with engineering firms that specify their equipment.