A Look Inside An Advanced NH Factory
One of the issues we’re focusing on at StateImpact is the manufacturing sector in New Hampshire: What it looks like, its successes, and its challenges. Recently, we tagged along while US Senator Jeanne Shaheen toured a factory in Merrimack. Elbit Systems of America represents the new line of advanced manufacturing taking root in the Granite State and across the country: laser and enhanced vision technology, aerospace navigation, and high-tech medical equipment.
If you’ve ever seen an old school, Rustbelt-style factory, you’d likely be very surprised at what the inside of Elbit Systems of America looks like. So with that in mind, we’ve designed this slideshow to take you along with us on our tour of this advanced factory.
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- Elbit Systems of America is a subsidiary of Elbit Systems. The company has facilities in Israel, Romania, Belgium, the UK, Brazil, and Australia, among other countries.
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- US Senator Jeanne Shaheen listens to a presentation by Elbit Systems execs. They say if Elbit lands a contract to enhance armored vehicles for the Taiwanese military, it could create 40-60 new jobs in the state and pump up to $100 million into the economy.
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- Although a number of manufacturing facilities in New Hampshire stand to take a hit with Defense Department cuts, Elbit execs say the company will weather well. One reason, they say, is that the company doesn’t limit itself to US defense contracting. Another is the fact that Elbit’s output includes non-military work, like aerospace and medical technology.
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- An Elbit employee demonstrates night vision equipment for Senator Shaheen.
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- Rather than one large factory floor, the Elbit facility has a number of large rooms with big windows lining the hallways. As an advanced manufacturing facility, Elbit looks more like a high-tech center and less like an old-style Rustbelt factory.
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- Despite requiring high-tech computer skills, advanced manufacturing jobs can still involve using old-fashioned tools as well.
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- Among the equipment made by Elbit’s med tech division is something called a molecular diagnostic analyzer. This one is relatively early in the process of being built.
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- An up-close look at part of the molecular diagnostic analyzer. The analyzer is used to test human samples for a variety of infectious diseases, including HIV, hepititis, and West Nile Virus.
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- Elbit employees test equipment like the analyzer at each phase of construction. The machine is rapidly spining bottles to keep tiny magnetic particles suspended, an integral part of making sure the finished machine will work properly.
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- A good part of the work done at an advanced manufacturing facility like Elbit is careful cleaning and other fine detail work.
