OLD SAYBROOK – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Sound Manufacturing, a manufacturer specializing in precision sheet metal fabrication, is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Sound Manufacturing was established in 1984 out of a small garage within a junk yard. Today, the company operates out of a more than 70,000 square foot facility in Old Saybrook where they manufacture a large variety of cabinets, enclosures, panels, brackets, machine guards, trays, bins, and other items used for many industrial and commercial applications. The Sound Manufacturing team – which is made up of 62 hardworking Connecticut employees – serves the telecommunications, industrial, automotive, energy, and medical markets.

After experiencing a 34% loss in sales during the 2008 recession, Sound Manufacturing sought out new ways to secure orders and help other Connecticut residents recover from the recession. In April 2011, Sound Manufacturing founded Monster Power Equipment, Inc. – a subsidiary of Sound Manufacturing that produces leaf and debris truck loaders to landscape professionals in the commercial and municipal sectors. Today, the company is thriving as the exclusive supplier to one of the nation’s largest landscape businesses. The leadership at Sound Manufacturing has also gotten involved in community programs at Three Rivers Community College, New London Science and Technology High School, Windham High School, and Quinnebaug Valley Community College to help local residents earn the training and certifications they need to secure well-paying jobs in Connecticut’s manufacturing industry.

“Sound Manufacturing was founded on the principle of traditional American know-how, and today – more than 30 years later – they’re thriving because of it,” said Murphy. “The leaders at Sound Manufacturing have innovated and adapted to meet the changing demands of the market, all while staying focused on the well-being of their employees and their community. They go out of their way to help local, aspiring engineers and technicians learn the valuable skills they need to succeed, and host in-house health fairs to connect their own employees with high-quality doctors, dietitians, and other health experts. Sound Manufacturing is building upon Connecticut’s manufacturing capabilities and is strengthening our homegrown talent, and it’s businesses like them that make me proud to fight for our manufacturers every day.”

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.