Conard Corporation | Case Studies

A digital advertising investment of $250,000 has generated almost $8M in new business for Connecticut-based photo chemical etching services supplier Conard Corporation — an ROI of more than 30x.

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The Business

A Precise Process Inspired by a Need for Smoother Parts

In 1965, in a garage in Glastonbury, Connecticut, a metallurgist looking to create more aerodynamic aircraft parts developed a chemical milling process that yielded perfectly smooth results. Richard Conard Huttinger applied his new method to forged aluminum propellor hubs for aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney and — seeing the potential for the technology to take off — founded Conard Corporation. Sixty years later, Conard is still headquartered in Glastonbury, specializing in Photo Chemical Machining (PCM) of thin metal parts with demanding tolerances for customers in industries that include aerospace, batteries and fuel cells, satellites, and electronics.

The Problem

Lack of Awareness Hinders Connection with Customers

Although awareness of PCM is growing, the process — which is also known as photo etching, chemical etching, and chemical machining — is highly specialized, which means it isn’t always what engineers and designers think of first when looking for a supplier.

“General ignorance of the process and what its capabilities are is the 800-pound gorilla in the room,” said Kathy Stillman, Conard’s director of sales and marketing. “It's always been this way because this process is taught in only a few universities in the world — one of them is in England, another is in Singapore. So even mechanical and chemical engineering students and career mechanical engineers may never have been exposed to [PCM].”

However, once customers see what they can achieve with PCM, they often go all-in on the process, and Conard has many customer relationships that span decades. “We have had customers over the years who've gone from not knowing a thing about etching to designing hundreds of parts just for etching,” Stillman said.

About 80% of new Conard customers don’t start their search looking for etching; they just know that they need precise, thin metal parts. Getting in front of the right audience of buyers who know the specifications they need but may not know the exact process is challenging.

The Solution

Thomas Helps Conard Speak Directly to Qualified Buyers

Conard’s relationship with Thomas began with print advertising in the Thomas Register in the 1980s, but the company paused advertising with Thomas in 2007 as advertising shifted online. However, Conard saw the effectiveness of Google AdWords decline and decided to return to Thomas in 2015 to reinvent itself for the digital age, Stillman said.

Partnering with Thomas enabled Conard to access the audience of qualified buyers it needed for quality leads.

“The quality of a Thomasnet referral is much better than referrals from any other source because they tend to come from the right places for us,” Stillman said. “They're engineers, they're designers, they're industrial purchasing people. They are ready to place an order and I don't have to try and explain everything to them because they already get it.”

The Results

Strong Leads Deliver 30x ROI

Conard’s work with Thomas has generated almost $8 million in new business since 2015 — a return rate of more than 30x on the company’s investment of approximately $250,000.

About 80% of Conard’s total revenue can be attributed to Thomasnet leads, including:

Five customers with a lifetime value of $500,000+ (including three with a value of $1M+)
Seven customers with a lifetime value of $100,000+
Nine customers with a lifetime value of $50,000+

To build on its success with Thomas advertising, Conard began working with Thomas Marketing Services (TMS) in 2024 to enhance its marketing efforts and further expand its reach to high-value customers.

Almost $8 million

in new business

Since 2015

80% of total revenue

generated from Thomasnet leads

3 new customers

with a lifetime value of $1M+

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