NEW BRITAIN – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced that Integro – a manufacturer of power distribution and lighting equipment for the airfield, mining, construction, shipbuilding, power utilities, and steel fabrication markets – is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Integro was founded in Meriden, Connecticut in 1995. In 2010, the manufacturer moved to a 26,000 square foot campus in New Britain, Connecticut, where today their employees manufacture Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-approved Isolation Transformers, waterproof lighting systems, welding equipment, and other products. Their products are used by customers including the U.S. Navy and multi-billion dollar organizations – such as General Dynamics, Eaton, Hubbell, Prysmian and Caterpillar – and at more than 56 major airports around the world, including Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport and Heathrow Airport in London.
Integro President John Bogart is proud to have three patented innovations, as well as four pending patents. One of Integro’s latest innovations is a Low Voltage LED Lighting System, called Right Idea, that optimizes LED lighting efficiency. The Right Idea lighting system is designed to deliver up to 95% energy savings over conventional incandescent bulbs and between 65% and 80% energy savings over conventional off-the-shelf LED bulbs at the safest operating voltage to prevent a shock hazard.
Over the last eight years since Buy American provisions required all manufactured goods used in FAA Airport Improvement Program funded projects to be produced in the United States, Integro has grown substantially. The company is even expecting to see significant continued growth in sales and employment in the next few years.
“Ever since FAA Buy American laws took effect, Integro has thrived, becoming concrete proof that ‘Buy American’ supports American companies and jobs,” said Murphy. “That’s why it’s frustrating that the government continues to violate Buy American laws and exploit loopholes that unnecessarily send taxpayer dollars overseas for goods they could purchase from homegrown manufacturers like Integro. Buy American laws exist for a reason, and I won’t stop fighting until the U.S. government gets serious about supporting Connecticut companies and Connecticut workers.”
John Bogart, President of Integro, said, “I am always fascinated with the different strategies that business leaders employ to drive success. Finding the right one that fits your team’s core competencies is the challenge. But once you find the right plan that will drive success, it’s all about effort and determination. For Integro, the path to that success has been two-fold – innovate to get into new markets where higher quality solutions are demanded and offer the best value and service in every market we enter. We think the strategies are a perfect fit for our team and now it’s time to employ the effort to achieve the victories we are expecting.”
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.