HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that Joining Technologies, Inc. (JTI) of East Granby is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer." Founded out of a small shop in Cheshire, Connecticut, in 1992, JTI provides manufacturing services such as laser welding, laser cladding, electron beam welding, supply chain management and machining services to clients in the aerospace, medical device, automotive, energy, and military sectors. Some of JTI’s most notable customers include Boeing, General Electric and Connecticut Spring & Stamping. Today, JTI employs 85 workers out of two facilities in East Granby. In the first quarter of 2017, JTI will expand its second laser facility from 10,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet in order to open capacity for its growing markets.

JTI received a $96,000 contract from the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to produce on-board battery power systems for the Naval Air Warfare Center aircraft fleet. JTI delivered the first prototypes of the new power systems to the Navy earlier this year.

“With its NAVAIR contract, JTI will help U.S. military forces located worldwide operate more efficiently,” said Murphy. “Their components are critical to the aircraft our armed forces rely on to defend our country, and I’m proud that JTI is continuing to expand their business in Connecticut.”

Jay Drew, JTI’s Sr. Program Manager, said, “We are honored to have been chosen for such an important program for the Navy. These power systems will bring greater efficiencies to U.S. naval aviation operations around the world. We envision the success of these prototypes, leading to a commercially viable solution that adds more jobs to our Connecticut workforce."

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,600 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 21st Century Buy American Act and the American Jobs Matter Act 

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