HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Conard Corporation of Glastonbury is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Richard C. Huttinger, a former employee of Boeing and Pratt & Whitney, founded Conard out of the garage of his Glastonbury home in 1965. Today, Conard operates out of a 16,000 square foot facility in Glastonbury where 30 employees use a photochemical machining process to manufacture photo etched metal parts for the aerospace, automotive, power generation, and medical industries. Conard’s parts are used on a wide variety of products, including propeller hubs, smoke detectors, computers, cell phones, fuel cells, and batteries. The company even manufactures heat sinks and metal air filters that are used on all of NASA’s space shuttles. 

Conard serves more than 250 customers per year, including Pratt & Whitney, Northrop Grumman, Hamilton Sundstrand, Kaman, General Dynamics, Raytheon, and Goodrich. They are one of only a handful of photo-etching companies in the region and of approximately 100 companies nationwide to use the photo etching process. The Glastonbury manufacturer is certified under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and is looking to expand their work with the U.S. Department of Defense.

“Connecticut has always been on the cutting edge of innovation in manufacturing, and the work being done by Conard shows why,” said Murphy. “As one of only a few photo-etching companies in the region, Conard is helping hundreds of Connecticut manufacturers overcome production and metal fabrication issues that more conventional manufacturing processes just can’t solve. I’m working hard in the Senate to support manufacturers like Conard as they look to expand their business.”

Kathy Stillman, Director of Sales and Marketing at Conard Corporation, said, “The photochemical machining process is versatile, economical and increasingly essential to the production of high tech devices across many industries.  The advent of The Internet of Things will drive further applications for etching tiny but critical components.  Connecticut has deep roots in manufacturing and innovation that is reflected in Conard's own history.”

The manufacturing industry plays a crucial role throughout Connecticut communities, creating new jobs and accelerating our state’s economic recovery. Today, Connecticut’s 4,602 manufacturers account for 10.2% 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.