Manufacturing Champion – Executive
Title: President & CEO
Company: Hudson Lock, in Hudson
Locations: Two
Industry subsector: Security hardware manufacturing
Founded: 1963
Employees: 70
Other top executives: Tom Sousa, CFO; Esmeralda Melendez, chief people officer
Primary product: Mechanical locking systems and key control solutions
Gina Melendez has led a shift in how Hudson Lock operates, focusing on structure, data, and consistency across the company’s manufacturing processes.
Over the past two years, she has guided the transition from a reactive production model to a more disciplined system based on demand, lead times, and service expectations. That shift has improved how the company manages inventory and meets customer demand. Melendez has worked to strengthen internal operations by increasing inventory accuracy and introducing more formal production and backlog review processes.
A key part of her approach has been workforce development. Employees are trained not only on tasks, but on the reasoning behind them, with the goal of improving decision-making and accountability across teams.
Under Melendez’s leadership, the company has focused on building a more consistent and scalable manufacturing operation.
Brad Kane is editor of the Worcester Business Journal.
