MIDDLETON — Salem Metal in Middleton celebrates turning 50 this year, and President Jason Vining, who lives just a stone’s throw from the facility, sees it as a positive thing for the community during this challenging time.

“It offers a bit of good news,” Vining said.

Vining said he and Salem Metal have remained optimistic throughout the COVID pandemic. Part of that has to do with the company’s move last year from Lonergan Road to a bigger space with room to grow. The company now occupies 75,000 square feet in the industrial park at 177 North Main St.

“It has the opportunity to hire on additional employees,” Vining said. “We have the production floor space to bring in several new pieces of equipment.”

The company manufactures panels, brackets, enclosures and sub-assemblies for a range of industries.

“We have a very diverse customer base,” Vining said. “And, a lot of what we do is medical device components.”

That doesn’t mean it’s recession-proof, Vining said, but the medical industry tends to avoid the steep drops that others can sometimes face during difficult economic times like those posed by the COVID pandemic.

In addition, Vining has invested in so-called “lights-out manufacturing.”

“We have several pieces of equipment that have robotics,” he said.

Someone can come in, load up the materials needed for a particular run, and then the machines do the work at night or on weekends.