A
s this special edition of QwikConnect aptly reveals, Glenair is making huge strides in growing our connector
capabilities in direct resonse to customer requirements. For those of you who have not visited the factory
recently, I'd like to take a few moments to bring you up to speed on some of our most significant connector
business development news. In June 2004, we moved all Glendale connector operations to a new facility on
Air Way that allows us to house–all in the same building–our design, engineering, product management,
production, assembly and source inspection for connector products.
Throughout our Air Way campus, we are
adding machining capability and related staffing as fast as possible to keep pace with the demand for
(among other machined and milled parts) connector components such as shells, coupling nuts, and so on.
We are also building up our in-house injection molding capability and expertise. This development will
greatly improve our turnaround speed on molded connector components as well as reduce production costs.
Our fiber optic clean room is also now on line, together with new expanded fiber optic connector and cable
assembly stations and staffing. The expansion of our fiber optic interconnect facility has been a significant
undertaking and warrants major accolades for everyone involved.
The growth we are experiencing in connector
activity presents a significant production challenge and we are not immune from the occasional hiccups that
occur with such growth. Some of the initiatives described here will help improve this situation–particularly
automatic restocking programs at the component level and additional staffing dedicated to expediting work.
Other work, for example the ongoing consolidation of selected secondary operations and connector shell
sub-processes will significantly improve connector work flow. We will continue to evaluate all connector
related manufacturing and assembly processes to make sure we are deploying staff and equipment resources in
the most effective manner. For an example of just such progress, witness the explosive growth of our same-day
stock of cylindrical connector products. From D38999 hermetics to the ever popular "Mighty Mouse," we now
stock over 3000 cylindrical connector part numbers. But whether the parts are on the shelf, or made to order,
Glenair is committed to reduced leadtimes, outstanding quality and rugged performance from our growing line of
military and industrial connectors.
