It's not often that one thinks of a company founded in the 19th century as part of New Pittsburgh.

	Bill Wade, Post-Gazette Janet Heberling places LEDs on a flexible circuit for a membrane switch at Dawar Technologies on the North Side. Click photo for larger image.

But don't tell that to Carl Snyder, who last summer took over as president and chief executive officer of Dawar Technologies Inc., a North Side manufacturer of products used in medical and industrial equipment and control systems.

"We're 120 years young. And not many companies can say that," Snyder said about the firm, which was founded in 1883 when Chester Arthur was president and Congress approved legislation creating the federal Civil Service Commission.

For almost a century, the company was a print and typography shop, operating under the name Davis & Warde Co. It had a reputation as a high-quality printer of corporate annual reports. Indeed, it was one of the dozens of small manufacturers -- at one time the company had 60 employees represented by three unions -- that were once a familiar site in this city.

But in the 1980s, Davis & Warde began to transform itself, prodded by changes in technology and customer demand that would ultimately doom the offset printing business. In the process, the company changed its name to Dawar Technologies.

	Bill Wade, Post-Gazette Dawar Technologies spent its first 100 years operating at Davis & Warde Co., a print a typography shop noted as a high-quality printer of corporate annual reports. A pattern of old wooden type greets visitors. Click photo for larger image.

Today, the company manufactures membrane switches, smart cards, graphic overlays, roll labels and rubber key pads from its 12,000-square-foot building within sight of Heinz Field. It employs about 42, including engineers, graphic designers and a small sales force.

While Dawar's products may have odd-sounding names, they are as familiar as the electrical touch pads found on a microwave oven.

Go into any McDonald's and you're likely to see membrane switches. They are a component of the color-coded touch screens on the server's cash register, allowing the worker to ring up your Big Mac and fries. A touch of the finger actually turns on a switch connected to the machine's electronic circuitry.

Smart cards are credit-card sized pieces of plastic with an implanted computer chip. They can be used to store information and are used in banking, health care and transportation. For example, hospitals use them instead of bulky files to store a patient's medical records and history.

These days, Snyder said, the company's management is focused on growing the business by building on its product line and by offering new products. This also reflects the chief aim of the investor group, assembled by Mel Pirchesky's Eagle Ventures, which bought Dawar Technologies in 1999. Indeed, Snyder was one of the original investors and served as vice chairman of its board of directors before taking over as CEO in August.

Snyder declined to say how much Dawar, a privately held company, generates in sales each year or to put a dollar amount on future revenue growth. But in the late 1990s, the company had about $4 million in sales, according to Jim Osckay, who was then Dawar's president.

Bill Wade, Post-Gazette Dawar Technologies executives, from left, include Carl Snyder, CEO and president; Gene Baumgarten, vice president of new product development; and Dennis Fitzgerald, vice president of manufacturing. Click photo for larger image.

Snyder is no stranger to manufacturing. Much of his career after his graduation from Lehigh University in 1975, was spent at LTV Steel. He would later receive an MBA from Duquesne University.

In 1987, Howell Breedlove, a former Copperweld Corp. president, founded J&L Structural with Snyder and James E. Howe, two former LTV managers. The company, which took over a LTV Steel rolling mill in Aliquippa, produced beams and channels used in construction, truck trailers and highway guardrails.

But hit by increased competition and a recession in its major market, J&L Structural filed for bankruptcy protection in July 2000.

Snyder, who was president of J&L Structural at the time, said he learned a lot from his experiences in the steel industry, particularly about the value of "participatory management" -- the importance of involving both workers and managers involved in key decisions.

	Bill Wade, Post-Gazette A finished flexible circuit for a membrane switch. Click photo for larger image.

"The individual who is doing the job knows it far better than any supervisor or manager," said Snyder, describing what he sees as the hallmark of this type of leadership.

At LTV Steel, and later at J&L Structural, Snyder said the company brought together union members and mangers to help solve problems.

Although Dawar is much smaller and nonunion, Snyder said he still favors a "participatory management" approach to leadership. It's an approach he hopes will help the company's growth strategy.