Hartford Business Journal

22 Hartford Business Journal • November 2, 2020 • www.HartfordBusiness.com is subtractive, meaning you start with a block of material, and cut from it to form a screw, or plastic component. 3D printing is additive, meaning you start with nothing, and add material to form the product. It can be both a speedier and more cost-effective manufacturing method, proponents say. Long-term gain Wepco Plastics in May spent about $100,000 on its new 3D printer, a large purchase for a 34-employee company that does about $3 million in annual revenue, said CEO Charles Daniels. But even smaller manufacturers can't ignore the trend toward higher tech, and since Wepco can't realisti- cally revamp its entire operation with all state-of-the-art equipment, 3D printing made sense as a priority. "As a manufacturer, it's important to first be aware of this," Daniels said. "For us, specifically, this was a technology that was coming into our space, which is lower-volume plastic parts." In addition to cutting the time it takes for Wepco to make a plastic mold from about two weeks to two days, the purchase enabled the com- pany to shift production to making personal protective equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, it has found new cus- tomers, including Hartford Hospital and the Department of Correction. The state, which has various pro- grams to help small producers pur- chase advanced technology, helped fund Wepco's 3D- printer purchase, Daniels said. Ford, of aerospace parts maker Phoenix Manufacturing, said his com- pany, which em- ploys 89 people and typically earns about $14 million per year, plans to buy a 3D printer by the end of 2020. The purchase will allow the company to additively manufacture molds and models for tools. The machining robots Phoenix already has installed collect data on every step of the manufactur- ing process, allowing the company to more quickly make production adjustments for efficiency. Phoenix is one of many manufac- turers currently working with CCAT to learn about what new technolo- gies are available in the industry, how they're used and which ones make the most sense to adopt. Investing in new technology isn't easy for small companies, said CCAT CEO Ron Angelo. Manufacturers must weigh the immediate cost and disruption to their operations against the long- term need to adapt to what will become the industry's standards. "They have to make a big commit- ment of manpower of some of their most skilled, experienced people to be part of that technology adoption," Angelo said. Competitive advantage One of CCAT's most important functions is bringing local manu- facturers into the organization's Advanced Manufacturing Center in East Hartford, a 20,000-square-foot space that has cutting-edge technol- ogy, Angelo said. When producers see how the machines are used, and how they could improve their opera- tions, it gets them thinking less in terms of whether they should invest in new technology and more in terms of how they could do it. It's important that CCAT is teach- ing interested manufacturers about new technological options, said Connecticut's Chief Manufactur- ing Officer Colin Cooper. Through CCAT, smaller producers are learn- ing about what new technologies exist, and which ones make the most sense for their business to invest in. "I think there's an opportunity for us to gain a competitive advantage relative to other regions if we adopt these things quickly," Cooper said. "I don't think we're behind other regions or ahead of other regions, but I think we have an opportunity to come out ahead if we coordinate efforts." CONNSTEP, a nonprofit manufac- turing consulting firm, has also been advising clients to use resources like CCAT to figure out what advanced technologies could help their busi- nesses and how they could buy and implement them, said Jeff Orszak, the organization's director of strate- gic growth and technology. It's key for smaller manufacturers to go about upgrading equipment in a thoughtful way, rather than just lunging for the shiniest new object, Orszak said. He's seeing a lot of companies investing in Internet of Things (IoT) tech that alerts users to maintenance issues in real time, and cybersecurity infrastructure in addition to additive technology. While it may take some time for most manufacturers across the world to adopt these emerging tech- nologies, Orszak thinks if and when they become the industry standard, Connecticut companies will have an easier time than others due to the state's highly educated workforce. "I see this as a strong advantage for Connecticut," Orszak said. "I think we're in a better position than many regions." Rocky Hill-based Lumeda, a startup that is developing an optical device to target cancer-killing cells during lung cancer surgery, has named its first CEO. Alexander "Sandy" Zinke has worked in various marketing and business development executive positions for medical device companies in Massachusetts and New York — including Boston Scientific, Hologic and CDx Diagnostics — where he has been involved in developing and commercializing more than a dozen products and programs. Lumeda was founded by Trevor MacDougall and Paul E. Sanders, whose prior photonics ventures found some success in the energy industry. Ryan Pettengill has been appointed executive director of Gifts of Love, a nonprofit that provides food, clothing and household items to people in Greater Hartford. Pettengill previously served as chief executive of the You Can Play Project in Denver, a nonprofit focused on LGBT inclusion in sports. Adam Swanson was elected to the board of directors of Connecticut Legal Services, a nonprofit legal services agency. Swanson is a partner at law firm McCarter & English. Darren Antolini has joined Downes Construction Co. in New Britain as a project executive. Antolini has 25 years of experience in the construction industry, including large-scale projects at Yale New Haven Health and UConn Health Center. Nancy Nesbitt has joined East Hartford-based Goman+York Property Advisors as a senior vice president and managing director of real estate and economic development services. Nesbitt previously worked as director of school engagement for Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island for Project Lead the Way, a nonprofit focused on STEM education. Ryan Pettengill Darren Antolini Nancy Nesbitt MOVERS & SHAKERS >> Tech Arms Race continued Charles Daniels, CEO, Wepco Plastics (Left) Employees at Wepco Plastics Inc. in Middlefield. (Right) Phoenix Manufacturing President Glenn Ford. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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