Hartford Business Journal

21 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | APRIL 25, 2022 low-interest loan in exchange for the company investing more than $10 million in the Farmington operations. NEAP's new product innovation center is off limits to visitors because of the company's defense industry work. It's located in one of the company's 10,000-square-foot warehouses that was completely gutted and outfitted with new equipment and space for product development. The space was built out in 2021 and became fully operational earlier this year. It has helped NEAP recruit engineers to its development team, Cunliffe said. "The thing we didn't want to become was a maker of only legacy products," he said. CCAT's Angelo said such research centers are more commonly found at larger corporations. For example, in 2019 New Britain toolmaker Stanley Black & Decker opened its 23,000-square-foot Manufactory 4.0 facility in downtown Hartford, which showcases advanced manufacturing technologies — such as modular robotic automation cells, mobile robots and collaborative robots — and how they'll be implemented into facilities around the world. In 2017, jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney, now owned by Raytheon Technologies, debuted a $60 million refurbished research center in East Hartford that focuses on making advances and new discoveries in additive technology. CCAT serves as a partner to companies that can't build their own research centers, Angelo said. CCAT is an applied technology demonstration and training center that provides education and resources to companies in the manufacturing and engineering fields. "CCAT is really where the rubber hits the road," Angelo said. "It's where industry and technology advancement intersect." The organization operates an Advanced Composites Technology Center at Goodwin University as part of a public-private partnership with the school, state and Pratt & Whitney. The space offers high-tech equipment and programming for students and small manufacturers to get hands-on training and innovate how they produce new products. "So companies come to us when they've got a challenge. It could be with a redesign of a product, or it could be something new they're developing," Angelo said. In addition to developing new products, CCAT's facilities can help companies find better, more efficient ways to create their legacy products, he said. Employee training The George Einstein Center was named after NEAP's founder, who was the nephew of Albert Einstein. The center was converted from the company's largest conference room to a meeting space where employees can bring their computers and learn in a collaborative environment. A large television and projector sit at one end of the room to allow for presentations. Cunliffe said having an in-house training space is important for companies that want to retain employees and strengthen their skill base. It's key for employers to "help people on their journey as professionals" if they want to keep them around long term, he said. "The marketplace is full of competition now," Cunliffe said. Howey said OKAY Industries also does internal employee training and programming, and partners with local educational institutions to recruit new people. For example, it works with Central Connecticut State University's manufacturing and engineering departments to learn, and teach, the latest advancements in the field. "In terms of driving innovation, we do a lot of internal R&D to develop and improve processes, but it's also used to teach others. It's a very effective model," Howey said. CCAT's partnership with Goodwin also highlights the importance of getting young people involved in the manufacturing and engineering industries. Education about advancing technology and workforce training remain CCAT's focus areas, Angelo said. "There's tons of open jobs, but the reality is that every company, large and small, has very individual specific needs," Angelo said. "So the necessity for them to have their own in-house training programs, and even in-house training centers, to be able to meet their needs is more critical than ever." Product innovation centers and employee educational spaces also help change the stigma around manufacturing jobs, and showcase that many manufacturing facilities use state-of-the-art technology and are constantly growing based on new advancements, executives said. "It's about getting people excited about manufacturing," Cunliffe said. Clive Cunliffe OKAY Industries President and CEO Jason Howey. 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