Manufacturer's Council

The importance of manufacturing in this state is crucial to the overall wellbeing of our economy, and Middlesex County is among some of the counties in Connecticut that has had a net increase in manufacturing jobs over the past few years. Collectively, manufacturers make up some of the largest employers in Middlesex County.   Through our Manufacturer’s Council, the Chamber has acted as a leader in supporting industry.  With a strong working relationship with our elected officials, the Chamber has a voice at the State Capitol and we have continued to build upon our strong manufacturing tradition. As we build upon this tradition, I was so pleased at the turnout of our December Manufacturer’s Council meeting at Zygo Corporation in Middlefield. A world class company, Zygo provided a very informative and well-done presentation on the company and new product development.  Guests were then led on a guided tour of the company’s state of the art facility. I, along with our Council Chairman Ken MacCormac, was thrilled with the turnout and very grateful to the people of Zygo for opening their doors to our fellow Chamber members. Ken has done an outstanding job of leading this Council and is an integral part of moving this group forward. Ken was very impressed with Zygo’s facility and said,” Meetings like the one we had at Zygo are a good platform and vehicle for us to discuss important issues that we all share. Any opportunity we have to work together as manufacturers to grow our business and learn from each other in order to improve upon our productivity is a good one. Topics like Lean Manufacturing never get old since it is the key to productivity and improving operations which is our goal.” Throughout the year, the Manufacturers’ Council will provide similar presentations of importance to our members. The Council organizes speaking programs designed to save manufacturers money and to help them run their operations more efficiently. The Council meets every other month, and programming consists of one to two hours of material so those members can go more in-depth with the subject matter. Programming includes interactive sessions on the latest trends in commercialization and strategy, techniques to improve plant operations such as lean manufacturing, customs trade partnerships against terrorism, and energy conservation and load management. Some future meetings will cover topics including Outsourcing in the 21st Century, Dealing with Competition from Asia and Shipping and Receiving in the Age of Terrorism.  The council is also in the preliminary stages of teaming up with the Manufacturers Association of Connecticut and the Connecticut Technical High School System in an effort to get students who are being trained in a specific trade better access to real experience in manufacturing.  Manufacturers need young people to replenish their aging workforce, so the Chamber’s Manufacturing Council will be organizing field trips to manufacturing facilities which will include plant tours and technology tutorials. Besides these programs, the Chamber is a vocal supporter of manufacturing in Middlesex County and the State. Advocating for our manufacturers, the Chamber has been successful in securing road improvements, locating manufacturers to our region, working with various state agencies, and promoting the reduction of business costs locally and at the State Capitol. One of Council’s major victories was the phase out and elimination of the property tax on manufacturing machinery and equipment. We realize to have a healthy economy and good paying jobs, manufacturing needs to be the base. Manufacturing provides the economic backbone to our region and state. In addition to the support we give to the manufacturers in the county, we give support to their future employees. An important part of training our future workforce is a solid education. To help provide students with an opportunity for educational advancement, the Manufacturers’ Council provides scholarships to the employees and the families of our manufacturers. The relationships developed between the manufacturing sector and Middlesex County will enable our businesses and economy to flourish. For more information on the Chamber’s Manufacturers’ Council, please contact Jeff Pugliese at the Chamber at (860) 347-6924 or

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393 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457
Phone: (860) 347-6924 | Fax: (860) 346-1043 | info@middlesexchamber.com
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