On July 19^th, State Representatives David K. Labriola and Rosa C. Rebimbas visited GarKenyon Aerospace and Defense to experience a small, yet thriving manufacturing business in action. After a very informative tour and overview of the company, led by Steve and Jon Fournier, the state reps. met with the employees for a question and answer session.

The State Reps. discussed how Connecticut is investing in manufacturing education, and how it is trying to keep small manufacturing businesses in the state, given the economic climate and the new state tax policies. Rebimbas and Labriola urged employees to be heard through their local governments, and relayed how inspired they were that the company has been able to remain so successful in today’s economy.

Previously that day Labriola and Rebimbas had visited another small manufacturing company in Naugatuck much like GarKenyon, “Seeing how these two companies remain at the forefront of their industry is inspiring,” Rebimbas said,” Connecticut has a long way to go to be a competitive business state, but these companies show it’s possible to succeed with dedication, sacrifice and drive. Their commitment to their employees and Naugatuck is admirable.”

Rebimbas and Labriola ended the visit at GarKenyon with a luncheon with the senior management team of the company to discuss ways the state government can minimize constraints within the manufacturing industry and how it can try to protect smaller manufacturing businesses in the future.

GarKenyon Unveils New Design of Website to Reflect Both Their Business Expansion and the Growth and Stability of the Aviation Industry

GarKenyon unveils a new look and design of their website that closely reflects their business growth in design and manufacture of aviation equipment. GarKenyon has over a 60-year history as a leader in the design, manufacture, and overhaul of reliable precision engineered hydraulic and pneumatic aircraft components.

Naugatuck, CT April 30, 2011 – “Being an entrepreneur means taking risks, and this one is paying off,” relates Steven Fournier, who acquired GarKenyon in 2003. The company had gone through many transitions since its formation in 1950, specializing in the design and manufacture of hydraulic and pneumatic components for use in military aircraft.

The company’s expansion and success is well captured in their newly redesigned website.  The site now reflects their expansion with increasing design and manufacturing capabilities in the aviation industry. Their site also shows what a manufacturing firm needs to do in today’s narrow field of new weapon systems, a global economy in transition, and an ever changing challenge of new and advanced science and technology.

“We have made a commitment to engineering operations excellence as well as bringing the right people on board. We now have people in place with the ability and imagination to provide solutions to our customers’ problems. This is where we add the most value.”

GarKenyon parts can be found in over 100 military/commercial aircraft ranging from the Cessna Citation to the F-16. With their commitment to service, added to their expertise and wide range of proven designs, they continue supplying to the “Who’s Who” of aviation from the general aviation aircraft market like Cessna, Bombardier/Learjet and more, to replacement components to the U.S. Military to be used on fighter and transport aircraft. To ensure the highest quality and delivery standards, GarKenyon manufactures over 75% of its products at their 44,000 square foot facility.

Today, GarKenyon is on a course to become a world-class design house. The company has gone through significant and sustainable growth phases since Fournier took the helm, and he believes the company can double its revenue and increase its work force by at least 50 percent over the next five years.

Read about GarKenyon on the CONNSTEP

web site by clicking on the link below:

http://www.connstep.com/page/221-gar-kenyon

In January 2010 GarKenyon was the proud recipient of the distinguished “Manufacturer Of The Year” award from the Waterbury Regional Chamber. This was the ultimate acknowledgment that the company had evolved since the acquisition in 2003 by Steve Fournier.  His continued investment in equipment, training and people has helped provide valuable job opportunities and created an increased awareness of the company.

The Harold Webster Smith Awards were established by the Chamber’s Small Business Council to recognize companies which have shown achievement and excellence in small business.

The Chamber hosts this program to honor the legacy of Harold Webster Smith, founder of Webster Bank, who supported, and helped nurture, small business development within the Greater Waterbury Region.

Nominations are accepted each fall, and the winners are honored at a breakfast each January.

Our company has prided itself on being passionate about energy efficiency and being conservation oriented. This is exhibited in a multitude of energy saving initiatives throughout our facility in Naugatuck.   On an almost daily basis we transport our manufactured parts to various local outside vendors for special processing. Up to this point we have used an older vehicle that was beyond it’s years of service and was costing us more and more to operate. In our spirit of efficiency and cost savings the company recently acquired a Nissan Cube that will be utilized for these outside processing pickups and drop-offs.  We estimate that we have immediately reduced our fuel consumption by 75% in addition to reducing outside emissions into the environment. The vehicle has been graphically enhanced to feature the new Gar Kenyon logo and will serve as a traveling billboard for the company.

GarKenyon has made investments in new CNC equipment and tooling to increase productivity and capacity. Also, GarKenyon manufacturing engineers optimize productivity by utilizing Mastercam X computer aided manufacture (CAM) software to leverage existing design data in the manufacturing process.

Gar-Kenyon’s experienced machinists and assembly/test professionals continue to be one of its greatest assets. Additionally, Gar-Kenyon has made investments in facilities, equipment and software to support its commitment to provide exceptional service at a competitive cost.

With state-of-the art Machine capability together with a highly skilled team and a solid quality system (AS-9100:2004 and ISO9001:200 Certified), GarKenyon can provide solutions to meet customer’s most demanding requirements.

GarKenyon has focused on lean manufacturing throughout the company.  Optimal set up reduction for our CNC operations have been conducted and sustained to provide customers with improved delivery time.   For scheduling we are using machine loading Kaizen.  6S Kaizen in inspection.  We have extensive kitting of tooling in machine shop and secondary.  We utilize value stream mapping and we have more scheduled throughout 2011.

President & COO

At GarKenyon since: 2010

Education: Wichita State University (Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Masters in Mechanical Engineering), UCLA

Citations: 2002/2003 US Patent – Membrane Activated Hydraulic Actuator and Boom Control System; 1999 US Patent – Transmission with load brake; 1994 US Patent – Regenerative Braking System for Electric Brake, Lean/Six Sigma

Previous Employers: HR. Textron Inc., Moog Inc., Douglas Aircraft Company, Dowty Aerospace Los Angeles, Smiths Aerospace Actuation Systems, Danaher Motion, Moritz Aerospace

Khoi comes to GarKenyon with a record of increasingly responsible assignments in General Management, Marketing/Sales, International and Domestic Business Development, Engineering, Program Management and Customer Service. Khoi utilizes his solid background in engineering – with a specialty in the aerospace industry – hydraulics and pneumatics to manage engineering operations at GarKenyon. By executing lean processes, improving profitability, building customer-focused teams and developing new products/markets, Khoi is leading the company’s drive for growth and success.

Controller

At GarKenyon since: 2005

Education: Quinnipiac University

Previous Employers: Edwards Systems Technology, Century Brass Products

The person charged with providing leadership and coordination in the company’s financial planning and budget management functions, Jane takes pride in the fact that GarKenyon has continued to grow and prosper despite the economic downturn. She adds that despite recent growth, GarKenyon has remained a family-oriented company with a well-earned reputation for customer service.