Leahy Announces Nearly 10 M. Navy Contract For Goodrich-Vergennes
Senate Judiciary Committee News Release
Jul 03, 2012 (Menafn - Congressional Documents and Publications/ContentWorks via COMTEX) --(MONDAY, July 2) -- Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Monday that Simmonds Precision Products, a subsidiary of the Goodrich Corporation operating in Vergennes, has been awarded a nearly 10 million contract from the U.S. Navy. The contract is for 120 Health and Usage Monitoring Systems, or HUMS, to be used in certain Navy helicopters, and overseas by the Government of Australia, under the Foreign Military Sales Program. The contract sustains jobs in Vergennes and lasts through March 2014.
Earlier this year Leahy announced another contract amounting to nearly 10 million awarded to the Goodrich Corporation facility in Vergennes by the U.S. Army. That contract was similar in nature and supported the procurement of 80 HUMS units produced at the Vergennes plant.
The diagnostic systems produced by Goodrich-Vergennes give military mechanics essential feedback on a helicopter's engine performance, structural performance and rotor wear, allowing it to be serviced before major systems fail. These systems eliminate the need for helicopters to be removed from service for routine maintenance, thus saving money, increasing safety and improving operational readiness.
Leahy is a senior member of the Defense Department's budget committee - the Senate Appropriations Committee's Defense Subcommittee -- and has long supported Goodrich's work in Vermont. The Goodrich manufacturing facility in Vergennes provides work for approximately 800 full-time employees, making it one of Addison County's largest private sector employers.
Leahy said, "I am pleased to see this company prospering in Vermont and proud to announce this contract, which builds upon the Vermont plant's record of accomplishment and innovation. Goodrich continues to be on the cutting edge of military technology and provides high-tech jobs to many Vermonters, which in turn strengthens the community's economy and Vermont's economy. These back-to-back contracts, including sales to U.S. allies, show how an earmark can become a crucial program of record that delivers for our national security and the safety of those who serve in uniform."
Bill Lennox, Senior Vice President of Washington Operations at the Goodrich Corporation said, "This order from the Navy is due to the many benefits our HUMS system has provided the fleet. This program started years ago with a strong vision from the Navy to reduce their fleet operating cost and improve safety and readiness. Senator Leahy was instrumental in helping the Navy keep the program funded during those early years, and now the program is supporting high technology production jobs in Vermont."
Read this original document at: http://www.leahy.senate.gov/press/press_releases/release/?id=cd918801-5196-4414-9ff9-6a9ffa52e95b
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