American Braiding & Manufacturing Inc.

American Braiding & Manufacturing Inc., a veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned for-profit manufacturer based in Howell, New Jersey, supplies industrial packing materials and gasket components to the Department of Defense as a prime contractor on purchase orders and indefinite delivery contracts, competing predominantly full-and-open rather than under set-aside vehicles despite its VOSB and SDVOSB certifications.

American Braiding is a manufacturer of gaskets, preformed packing, oakum, and related sealing components, operating from a single production facility in Howell Township, New Jersey. The company's federal footprint consists almost entirely of small-dollar purchase orders and delivery orders to defense logistics customers, with 333 total prime awards dating back to 1982. Recent activity spans 27 awards in 2024 and 20 in 2025, with combined potential value across the portfolio of $2.4 million and combined obligated dollars of $3.8 million. Representative work includes a $79,613.80 Total Small Business set-aside purchase order from Naval Supply Systems Command in March 2024 for packing materials to Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, a $19,581.51 Total Small Business set-aside purchase order from Naval Supply Systems Command in April 2025 for packing material, and multiple $1,300–$7,400 firm-fixed-price purchase orders from DLA Land and Maritime throughout 2024 and 2025 for preformed packing, gaskets, and related components supporting military equipment maintenance and vessel repair operations.

American Braiding's customer base is heavily concentrated in defense logistics. The top five customer entities account for 86% of recent awards: Naval Supply Systems Command (93 awards, $1.2 million combined potential value), DLA Land and Maritime (86 awards, $949 thousand combined potential value), DLA Troop Support Hardware (49 awards, $132 thousand combined potential value), DLA at large (41 awards), and DLA Troop Support Construction and Equipment (17 awards, $44 thousand combined potential value). The two rankings align closely — Navy and DLA Land and Maritime dominate both volume and dollars — with no material tension between purchase frequency and value concentration. The company holds two active single-award indefinite delivery contracts with DLA Land and Maritime: one awarded September 19, 2025, valued at $250,000 with ultimate completion September 19, 2026, under Total Small Business set-aside, and a second awarded October 2, 2024, valued at $250,000, completion date October 2, 2025, also Total Small Business set-aside. Both IDCs procure packing materials under National Stock Number 5330011046144 with estimated annual order frequency of five to ten delivery orders. According to recent summaries, American Braiding maintains or has maintained three active DLA IDCs valued at $250,000 each, though the source data reflects two current vehicles.

Despite holding VOSB and SDVOSB certifications, American Braiding competes predominantly full-and-open. Of 333 prime awards in the source data, only a subset carry explicit set-aside designations — some awards note "Total Small Business" or specify the veteran-owned posture in narrative, but the majority of recent purchases carry "No Set-Aside Used" language. The company does not hold positions on GWACs, BPAs, or large government-wide vehicles; recent activity flows through routine purchase orders and small-value IDCs with DLA and Navy supply commands.

Category concentration is extremely narrow. The portfolio is dominated by NAICS 335991 (Gasket, Packing, and Sealing Device Manufacturing) — 235 of 333 awards — with smaller volumes in motor vehicle parts, bearings, and hoses. The PSC code concentration is equally tight: Packing and Gasket Materials (PSC 5330) accounts for 326 of 333 awards. This specialization anchors the vendor to a specific, stable, but low-dollar procurement stream within defense logistics.

American Braiding has no subcontract footprint and does not appear on any prime contractor teaming rosters in the source. The company operates as a standalone supplier, performing all manufacturing and delivery at its Howell Township facility. Activity has grown modestly — from 13 awards per year in 2022–2023 to 27 in 2024, then declining to 20 in 2025 and 7 year-to-date in 2026 — suggesting seasonal or order-cycle volatility rather than sustained expansion. No recompete cliff data is present in the source.