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V O L . X X V I N O . V M A R C H 9 , 2 0 2 0 18 M A N U F A C T U R I N G W alter Lachman moved his fledgling fiber com- posites company from Massachusetts to Biddeford in 1969 to take advantage of the area's workforce. Textile mills, once the Biddeford-Saco area's biggest employer, were closing and he wanted to recruit the skilled laborers left in the textile industry's wake. Built by workers plucked from a dying manufacturing sector, FMI is now part of the state's largest and fastest growing one — aerospace and transportation. "What we do is very impactful in support of NASA space science, and more importantly some of the defense programs that are critical in defend- ing the nation," says Dan Godbout, director of global sales and marketing for FMI. Aerospace and transportation produce more than any other manu- facturing sector in Maine, with nearly $1 billion worth of goods. e industry has grown as manufacturing as a whole has rebounded in Maine, with output increasing from $5.4 billion in 2008 to $6.35 billion in 2018. Maine's manufacturing workforce totaled 53,700 in December 2019, up 13% from 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor statistics. e numbers are expecting to keep climbing as demand increases, particularly in "new space" technolo- gies at places like FMI and Brunswick landing. Jobs, jobs, jobs e Manufacturing Association of Maine lists more than 40 aerospace- related companies in Maine. In North Berwick, Pratt & Whitney is the state's largest with a 1 million-square-foot plant and 2,100 employees. e company, which makes jet engines, plans to hire 200 more this year after getting a $2.2 billion contact from the Navy to build jet engines for the F-35 Lighting II Joint Strikefighter. FMI is much smaller, but has grown from 140 employees to 240 in the last five years. e company plans to double its capacity in the coming years as demand for its products grows, particularly in defense and space sci- ence products, and will need more, says Godbout. At Brunswick Landing, run by the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, several aviation and avia- tion-related companies, like compos- ites manufacturing, have found a home. Manufacturing makes up 30% of the 140 businesses that have located on the campus since it opened in 2011 at the former Brunswick Naval Air Base. Overall job creation is close to 2,000. Aviation firms account for 232,744 square feet of occupied space there, and complementary ones, such as compos- ites manufacturers, add to that. While FMI and Brunswick Landing both have an aviation focus, they are also looking at future growth to come from the next generation of aerospace technology. Positioned to launch Brunswick Landing tenant bluShift Aerospace, which has designed a new launch system for mini-satellites, got a NASA development grant in June to further that work. e Maine Space Grant Consortium is also considering the Brunswick campus as mission con- trol for a program that would launch cubesats, or small satellites, from Commerce Park at the former Loring Air Force Base in Presque Isle. e consortium is conducting a study, funded by the Maine Technology Institute and NASA, on the market feasibility of the program. Brunswick Landing is well-posi- tioned for the new technology from both programs, as well as the manu- facturers that support the industry, says Kristina Logan, deputy director for innovate at the MRRA. e master plan at Brunswick Landing calls for development with a focus on aviation, aerospace and new technologies. ere's plenty of space for new business incubation and manu- facturing, a research and development center, and assets such as runways and hangars. Logan says, too, that the consor- tium's market research shows Maine is a good fit for the launching of nanosat- ellites. "MRRA and the Landing fit in well to this as we are always looking to help develop and support the indus- tries of the future." Products on Mars FMI, with roots deep in the his- toric manufacturing industry of the Biddeford area, is also well-positioned for the future. e company produces reinforced composites that enable high-tempera- ture applications, such as thermal pro- tection systems, re-entry vehicle nose tips, rocket "throats" and nozzles. Its products, lightyears from what was being produced in the city's mills 100 years ago, can be found in the Mars Rover's heat shields, as well as those in an upcoming Mars mission. ey're also going to Saturn's moon, Titan, on NASA's Dragonfly mission, which will take samples and return in an eight-year round-trip. ey're also on hypersonic missiles being developed by the U.S. Department of Defense. FMI does everything from research and development through the final F O C U S "What we do is very impactful in support of NASA space science, and more importantly some of the defense programs that are critical in defending the nation." — Dan Godbout director of global sales and marketing for FMI TAKING OFF Aerospace part of Maine's largest manufacturing sector B y M a u r e e N M i L L i k e N P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY Dan Godbout is director of global sales and marketing at Fiber Material Inc., a Biddeford company that produces reinforced composites used in NASA rockets and by defense clients.

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