HARTFORD – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) announced on Monday that United Tool & Die Company (UTD) of West Hartford is this week’s “Murphy’s Monday Manufacturer.” Founded in 1925, UTD is a family-owned and family-operated tube, duct and sheet metal fabricator for the aviation and aerospace industry. UTD is on the cutting edge of aerospace technology and serves companies like UTC Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, Sikorsky, Cobham, Tata Aerospace, and Fiat Avio. It is also creating good local jobs, increasing its workforce by over 10% since the beginning of the year. Currently, UTD employees 96 workers out of its 166,000 square foot facility in West Hartford.

UTD is committed to its community. The University of Hartford engineering department uses UTD’s manufacturing facilities for an annual car racing competition featuring cars designed and built entirely by students. The company’s founders also started the Carney Scholarship Foundation, which has donated over $1.8 million in scholarships for University of Hartford students.

“For over 90 years, UTD has been a staple in the West Hartford community,” said Murphy. “They are making investments in their facilities and have made adding new local jobs a priority. And that’s the smart way to stay on the cutting-edge. I’m committed to supporting UTD as they continue to grow and serve diverse aerospace companies here in Connecticut and across the globe.”

Vic Gara, CEO of United Tool & Die Company, said, “ UTD has always been committed to growing in Connecticut.  By being strategically located in central Connecticut, working together with our peers, and by hiring the best people, we have found Connecticut to be an ideal state to support our past and future growth.”

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.