U.S. Senator Chris Murphy this week named Davis-Standard of Pawcatuck as “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer,” intended to highlight the importance of Connecticut's manufacturing sector.

Founded in 1848, Davis-Standard is the largest extrusion machinery manufacturer in North America and serves hundreds of companies in the packaging, food and beverage, construction, healthcare, agriculture, automotive, electronics and energy industries.

Davis-Standard employs 420 workers in Pawcatuck, as well as nearly 500 based out of facilities in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Germany, Great Britain and Malaysia. It partners with Ella T. Grasso Southeastern Technical High School, Stonington High School, and Westerly High School to educate young students about plastics and about the opportunities associated with careers in manufacturing and engineering.

Davis-Standard announced last month that it will add 15,000 square feet of manufacturing space to the Pawcatuck headquarters by this fall, and will add 30 new jobs to their Connecticut workforce over the next two years.