Thirty-one years ago, a celebration of materials and metallurgy's role
in the vibrancy of the economy of Connecticut began - and it's still
going strong with the support of local engineering societies and manufacturers.
The forerunner of Materials/Manufacturing Week was founded in 1978 under the
aegis of the Southern Connecticut Chapter of ASM
International, the materials information society.
This April 19-25, local societies led by the ASM Southern Connecticut Chapter
and ASM Hartford Chapter will celebrate “Materials/ Manufacturing Week.”
The New Haven Manufacturers Association (NHMA) has taken a leadership role in
the celebration, and Connecticut’s Small Manufacturers Association has
also joined in.
“The objective of Materials/Manufacturing Week is to focus on the roles
that materials play, not only in our everyday life, but in the manufacture of
products that are vital to our state’s economy,” said Jerry Clupper,
NHMA executive director.
From its earliest years, Connecticut was known for its metal manufacturing
prowess with silver, copper and brass manufacturing comprising major segments
of the state’s industry. Connecticut not only fabricated these materials,
but also mined and refined them. Eventually, with the addition of rubber vulcanization
in Naugatuck, another facet of this materials manufacturing industry began to
grow.
“From clocks to cutlery and Naugahide to Mohair, Connecticut became a
national and international source for many essential products,” said Robert
John Klancko, past chairman and historian of the ASM Southern Connecticut Chapter
and the founder of this observance.
“Reflecting the origins of Materials/Manufacturing Week, the site of
the Waterbury Brass Company was declared an ASM Historical Landmark in 1978,”
Klancko said. “Today, our state’s manufacturers continue to work
with a wide range of metals, plastics, polymers, ceramics and composite materials,
creating products that directly influence our quality of life.”
“We’ve had an illustrious history,” Clupper added. “After
the brass, woolen, silver and clock industries left our state, new opportunities
arrived involving high-tech materials like nanomaterials, plastics and ceramics.
Our manufacturers continue to break new technological ground, working smarter,
working leaner, working cleaner and working to enhance our local and state economy.”
Governor Jodi Rell has signed a proclamation celebrating the importance of the
week. Highlights include a special event on April 23 jointly organized by ASM,
NHMA and SMA. Registration is available for a technical meeting, social hour
and buffet dinner at The Graduate Club, featuring a presentation by Alexis Sommers,
Ph.D., professor of industrial engineering at the University of New Haven and
a specialist in forensic science.
For more information, visit www.asm-soct.org
or contact James Steele at 860-747-6333, x3294 or email jsteele@mottcorp.com.
In recent years, the ASM Southern Connecticut Chapter has participated in many
outreach activities in the community, including support for the Connecticut
Science Fair, the Connecticut Invention Convention, the Greater Naugatuck Valley
Community College, the Sound School, Platt Technical High School and the Arthur
Geary Scholarship at the University of Connecticut.
“We’ve participated in student outreach activities and networking
with our fellow technical societies as well as with student members at local
universities and colleges,” said James Steele of Mott Corporation, chapter
chairman. “We take our role as the grassroots of materials, metallurgy
and manufacturing very seriously, but we have fun with it as well.”