Making a big deal of those who make
PHOTO | David Gunn Photography
2019 inductees of the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame Thursday evening in Trumbull.
The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame inducted five Connecticut companies into its ranks Thursday evening. The induction ceremony took place at the Trumbull Marriott. Some 200 people attended.
A program of Housatonic Community College (HCC), the American Manufacturing Hall of Fame spotlights and celebrates the innovative history of American manufacturing, raises funds for educational programs and promotes awareness of advanced manufacturing.
The latter is a critical component of the business curriculum at HCC. The Bridgeport school’s Advanced Manufacturing Center helps to train students for the more than 150,000 jobs offered by Connecticut’s 4,700 manufacturing companies.
Five of those companies were lauded for excellence and innovation Thursday evening:
- Ashcroft Inc. is a global leader in pressure and temperature instrumentation. Founded by Edward Ashcroft in 1852, the company designs and manufactures pressure transducers, switches and gauges, precision test instruments, and digital and analog temperature products. The company has 10 global locations, though its largest manufacturing plant and global headquarters are in Stratford.
- Medtronic PLC is among the world's largest medical technology, services and solutions companies. Founded in 1964 by Leon Hirsch as a mechanical medical device company, the company previously known as US Surgical pioneered surgical stapling devices. Now owned by Medtronic, the company’s stapling platform and instruments enable minimally invasive surgery, which leads to shorter hospital stays and faster recoveries. The company is committed to advancing MIS adoption globally. Medtronic’s Connecticut facility is in North Haven.
- Microboard Processing Inc. of Seymour started in 1983 as a small family-owned electronics repair services business. It has evolved to become the leading electronics manufacturing services (EEMS) provider in Connecticut, and one of the most technically advanced private EMS companies in America. MPI manufactures a critical defense program for the Pentagon, controlling mission and missile communications. MPI also manufactures defibrillators, aerospace and defense radar systems as well as the most advanced telecom electronics in the world for the 5G network, according to the company.
- Pratt & Whitney, in East Hartford, traces its roots to a prediction by Edward Leeds that the U.S. would enter World War I and America would need to manufacture its own aircraft engines. Today the company, a division of United Technologies Corp., is a major American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations.
- Sonics & Materials Inc. of Newtown was founded by Robert Soloff in 1969. It manufactures plastics assembly equipment and ultrasonic liquid processors. S&M has become a world leader in ultrasonic welding technology, large-part linear vibration welding systems, spin welding machines and other plastics joining methods, and liquid processing systems.
The American Manufacturing Hall of Fame was founded by past HCC president Barbara and Carl Johnson in 2014 in collaboration with actor (Cheers) and manufacturing advocate John Ratzenberger, its founding chairman. To date 25 Connecticut companies have been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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