"By using off-the-shelf technology," Murtha told the audience Friday at Advanced Acoustic Concepts Inc. (AAC) grand opening, the price of a console aboard each Navy ship has been cut from "$850,000 down to $125,000. That’s a significant savings when you think we have a $417 billion defense budge this year."
Murtha and other officials attended the special program at AAC, which culminated a half dozen years of work with the simple snip of the scissors.
"The vision we had has been to keep our young people here, be a partner in the community, provide good paying jobs and benefits and establish a standard of performance. That vision was not AAC's. It was John Murtha's," Brian Boyle, AAC executive vice president, said.
The company held its grand opening and cut a ceremonial ribbon marking its move into a 40,000 square foot building at 1080 Eberly Way in the University Technology Park on Route 119 north of Uniontown.
AAC is a leading supplier to the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense of signal processing, image processing and information and learning services. The company provides processing equipment that is used as part of the Navy's torpedo defense system. It also provides systems for commercial applications.
Headquartered in Long Island, N.Y., AAC reported about $35 million in sales last year and employs about 180 people. It has 45 full-time and 15 part-time employees at the Fayette County site, the majority of which are computer engineers.
The company offers an intern program in conjunction with Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus. Last year, AAC had jobs for 20 interns, 10 of whom will graduate this spring and are guaranteed full-time jobs.
By using, "bright, young, local talent," AAC said, it expects to have 100 people working at the Fayette site within three years.
"Nothing you see here today would have been possible without Congressman Murtha," Boyle said. "This facility is a direct result of his vision, his leadership and support in Washington D.C." Boyle later unveiled a portrait of Murtha that will hang in AAC's lobby.
Boyle also recognized the late Robert Eberly, who founded Fay-Penn Economic Development Council and was a leading proponent of AAC locating in Fayette County.
Boyle presented Eloise Eberly, the philanthropist's widow, with flowers and unveiled a portrait of Eberly that will also hang in the company's lobby.
"The object all along as been to keep our young people here," Boyle said. "We put them into what we call a pipeline after they come to us through the university technology program. They know our customers are the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense 24-hours a day and seven days a week," Boyle said.
Murtha related how on a tour of the facility one of the associates explained he had spent two weeks on a Navy vessel to correct a problem with their system.
"They had to drag him back because he had such a good time. But the point is they give these young people, responsibility to do the job," Murtha said.
"I asked him what was the improvement in the system. He said the resolution. I didn't know what he was talking about so I asked him to show me," Murtha said. A former computer screen image, he said, "could hardly tell if it was a submarine or not. The new image is so clear you can see the fish, too."
Navy Capt. Paul Rosbolt explained how the team at AAC has been involved in improving the military's anti-submarine program.
"We have a lot of companies involved but AAC is like the quarterback. They take all the pieces and put them together. We use standard commercial processing in what we call an ‘open architecture' system. It's a way we can update (our systems) speedily and at significant cost savings," Rosbolt said.
"All we did was bring a bunch of computers on board and hooked them up to our sonar. We realized a tremendous improvement and it allowed us to demonstrate the process. It can take years to develop something like this but we did it in 10 months," he said.
Rosbolt noted the Team IPS (Improved Performance Sonar) at AAC in 2004 won an excellence award for its work, beating out major defense contractors.
"We are going to be installing 40 systems in the next three years and that work will be coming from Uniontown," he added.
The Navy's IPS, Don Cooper, AAC general manager, said, "that are integrated in this new, state-of-the-art facility, represents a quantum leap forward in multi-community undersea warfare technologies" that are common across Navy programs.
Cooper said this has been accomplished "by developing a successful partnership with more than 30 organizations comprised of small and large businesses. Navy organizations and universities working together to provide the fleet with the best possible technology that is installed in an accelerated fielding plan."
"Team IPS will continue to improve upon the best-of-breed, innovative development and rapid technology insertion approach," Cooper said.
Leo Krantz, Fay-Penn chairman, who was master of ceremonies for the event, recalled that, "I remember when AAC's Fayette operation was one person and several interns located in a trailer at Penn State's campus here. It is a thrill for me to be here today, having witnessed AAC's growth over the past six years. Fay-Penn is proud to have been involved in the establishment of this operation.
Fay-Penn, which owns the building AAC occupies, also helped the company with low-interest loans from its revolving loan fund and helped place the company in a tax-free Keystone Opportunity Zone.
