WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that Franklin Products, Inc. in Torrington is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Founded in 1988, Franklin Products is a global leader in airline cushions and upholstery covers with a focus on engineering expertise in the aerospace interior industry. Their customer base includes major airlines worldwide. The company employs 1,400 people globally and 156 in their 50,000 square foot facility in Torrington. Last week on “National Manufacturing Day,” Murphy toured the facility with company president Kerri Picard.

“Connecticut is home to the best manufacturers and it’s because of companies like Franklin Products. I got to see firsthand the innovative work being done in their Torrington plant, and I want to applaud them for their decades of commitment to Connecticut manufacturing. My office is here to help in any way we can,” said Murphy.

“It was an honor to have U.S. Senator Chris Murphy visit our Franklin Products headquarters, located in Torrington, Connecticut for over 30 years. Our success and continued success is highly influenced by the people we employ in Connecticut. They are some of  most dedicated and hardworking people that I have had the pleasure to work with in our industry. Our designs must be innovative and artistic while also being cost-effective, so the true artists, great thinkers and motivated teammates we employ keep us ahead of the competition. Manufacturers are a strong factor in creating and keeping working class jobs in our state. Today’s aerospace industry is so incredibly cost driven that every year it becomes more and more important to have the support of our government to motivate manufacturers not only to stay in our state and contribute to a robustly diverse economy, but also to entice others to flock here, bringing more jobs in. That’s why we are so thankful for Senator Murphy’s support and personal visit last Friday,” said Kerri Picard, President of Franklin Products, Inc.

Franklin Products, Inc. also routinely gives back to the community and participates in a number of charities and schools in Connecticut, including Children’s Community School, St. Mary Magdalen School, Sacred Heart High School and the University of Connecticut. The company also organizes “Jean Day Friday” and asks participating employees to make a donation to the charity of the month, which is matched by Franklin Products.

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating the state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s thousands of manufacturers account for 10% of the state’s jobs and 87% of the state’s total exports. In order to protect and grow manufacturing jobs in Connecticut, Murphy has introduced two pieces of legislation that aim to strengthen existing standards and prioritize the purchase of American-made goods, the BuyAmerican.gov Act and the American Jobs Matter Act.

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