'Made in New York' bus stops at Norsk Titanium

PLATTSBURGH | After a week-long tour, the Made in New York Manufacturing Bus made its final stop at Norsk Titanium. The trip brought leaders from the Business Council of New York State to eight different manufacturing companies in five regions around the state. Their last visit provided a glimpse inside one of New York's most innovative facilities at Plattsburgh's fast-evolving manufacturing hub. Norsk Director of Production Engineering Steve Schuster and Vice President of Operations Steve Eaton welcomed council President Heather Mulligan and several of the organization's directors, including Crystal Griffith, who leads workforce development efforts, and Mario Vasquez from their government affairs office. TIER-1 SUPPLIER The tour began with a briefing in the Norsk board room. Eaton shared the company's trajectory of growth, born here in 2015 with an alliance agreement and $125 million in state investments. In the nearly decade since, he said, Norsk established its production facility and has become a Tier-1 supplier of titanium components and structural parts. Manufacturing at Norsk uses their trademark 3-D Rapid Deposition Plasma technology. New agreements with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) spurred expansion of Norsk facilities, Eaton said. The company now has two manufacturing centers in Plattsburgh, providing an American link to engineering development and design headquarters in Norway. Norsk has developed over 780 forms and installed 22 machines in its Plattsburgh Production Facility with another 10 machines in its Defense and Qualification Center. Their newest "Big" machine creates parts up to six feet long. The carrier trays they build can weigh anywhere from 300 to over 600 pounds. Norsk's state-of-the-art facility was designed and built through 2018 and 2019, and the company moved into it in 2020. Recent expansion added an entire row of new machines ready to come online, Eaton said. Defense industry production is a strong component of the growth vector at Norsk, he said. And they have opened discussions with Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. Lockheed Martin and BAE are among other companies with a large footprint in New York State that might find interest in Norsk production capability, he added. Contacts through Empire State Development (ESD) and New York Creates are good resources, Eaton allowed. They are hoping to meet with Micron and Global Foundries. "We want to tell them the story that we have had with the carrier trays to see if there is interest." At the briefing, Clinton County Industrial Development Agency Executive Director Molly Ryan told Eaton she would work through county IDA avenues and chambers of commerce to help make those connections. Eaton and Schuster showed Business Council leaders and area lawmakers, Legislator Mark Henry, Supervisor Michael Cashman, Assemblyman Billy Jones and state Senator Dan Stec, how their trademark Rapid Plasma Deposition technology works. An extraordinary process completed in a two-torch procedure is contained within an argon environment. Each component is made in layers from 8 mm to 14 mm thick by torches angled to melt and heat titanium in succession. The row is immediately cooled as the part is printed. Norsk is fluent in material specifications for titanium applications that vary by client, Eaton said. They manufacture components for air, space and naval use, having achieved supply-chain qualification for the commercial aerospace market and signed master supply agreements with AirBus and Boeing. Lawmakers and council members asked company officials about the manufacturing growth environment in Plattsburgh, specific to electric supply and workforce. Eaton said they have built a good working relationship with Champlain Valley Educational Services, which is expanding its training center at the nearby industrial park. In addition, he said, they have had success with training through Clinton County Community College and are hoping to create a specific course at the Advance Institute for Manufacturing (AIM) at Bluff Point. MADE IN NEW YORK The Business Council celebrated Manufacturing Week, Oct. 7 to Oct. 12, with a 900-mile trip. They started off in Brooklyn at Apotheke candle factory and toured manufacturing facilities across the state, from Buffalo and the Finger Lakes region to Plattsburgh. They also visited the Agri-Mark cheese production facility in Chateaugay, making eight stops in all. Eaton thanked the Business Council and elected officials for their continued support of manufacturing industry. "It's great to have everyone here at Norsk," the operations VP said. Supervisor Cashman applauded the state for their historic investment in the Norsk Titanium facility. "Where Plattsburgh once reached for the sky, we now live in the sky," he said, echoing Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas's mantra: "Onward and upward." Business Council President Mulligan said Clinton County is one of the strongest regions in the entire U.S. for advance manufacturing. "These are great jobs here," she said. "To the extent that New York (manufacturing companies) have challenges, we want to hear about them."

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'Made in New York' bus stops at Norsk Titanium

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