Full speed ahead; DRS Power Technology of Fitchburg takes over where GE left off.Byline: Martin Luttrell F ITCHBURG - When three engineers from the General Electric Co. steam turbine Steam turbine A machine for generating mechanical power in rotary motion from the energy of steam at temperature and pressure above that of an available sink. By far the most widely used and most powerful turbines are those driven by steam. plant on Boulder Drive decided to form their own startup company The creator of this article, or someone who has substantially contributed to it, may have a conflict of interest regarding its subject matter. It may require cleanup to comply with Wikipedia's content policies, particularly neutral point of view. in the weeks before GE pulled the plug on its local operations in 1998, their expertise and contacts with the U.S. Navy would be the cornerstone for a growing business, as well as the city's urban renewal program. Power Technology Inc. got its start in the Park Square Building, a block away from the GE plant, designing turbine propulsion systems Noun 1. propulsion system - a system that provides a propelling or driving force system - instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity; "he bought a new stereo system"; "the system consists of a motor and a for aircraft carriers and submarines, some two years after GE left that market. But as the Navy has tried to transform itself into a sleeker and more nimble nim·ble adj. nim·bler, nim·blest 1. Quick, light, or agile in movement or action; deft: nimble fingers. See Synonyms at dexterous. 2. force, the fledgling company drew the attention of defense contractor Noun 1. defense contractor - a contractor concerned with the development and manufacture of systems of defense armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; DRS Technologies DRS Technologies, Inc. (commonly known as DRS; formerly known as Diagnostic/Retrieval Systems, Inc.) is a supplier of defense electronic products and systems to the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, aerospace and defense prime Inc. of New Jersey, which saw the business as complementary to its own. In January 2003 DRS DRS Drives (street suffix) DRS Dispute Resolution Service DRS Doctorandus DRS Department of Rehabilitative Services DRS Direct Registration System (securities) DRS Department of Rehabilitation Services purchased Kaman Corp.'s Hudson-based electric motor development unit, which makes motors for defense and transportation. That unit was renamed DRS Electric Power Technologies. Power Technology Inc., which leases nearly 100,000 square feet of the former GE property from the city of Fitchburg, was purchased by DRS for $35 million two months later, and renamed DRS Power Technology Inc. The Fitchburg and Hudson companies, which had previously worked together on Navy contracts, comprise the Power Systems unit of DRS Technologies' C41 Group, with the Hudson facility still operating in its original location. DRS Power Technology and DRS Electric Power Technologies have since landed several multi-million-dollar Navy contracts to design, develop, manufacture and test power conversion and propulsion Propulsion The process of causing a body to move by exerting a force against it. Propulsion is based on the reaction principle, stated qualitatively in Newton's third law, that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. equipment for conventional and nuclear-powered electric plants on naval ships A naval ship is a ship (or sometimes boat, depending on classification) used for combat purposes, commonly by a navy. Naval ships are differentiated from civilian ships by construction and purpose. and submarines. In August the Power Technology unit was awarded a $20 million contract by Rolls Royce Rolls Royce the millionaire’s vehicle. [Trademarks: Brewer Dictionary, 928] See : Luxury PLC to design and produce four 36-megawatt gas turbine generator "set packages" to power and propel pro·pel tr.v. pro·pelled, pro·pel·ling, pro·pels To cause to move forward or onward. See Synonyms at push. [Middle English propellen, from Latin ships. The Rolls Royce Trent turbines, similar to those used in passenger jets, are set into metal containers that provide space for maintenance, and provide a protected area
Protected areas for the turbine while reducing noise and heat. Richard Armstrong Richard Armstrong can refer to one of the following:
n. A rotating shaft that transmits mechanical power from a motor or an engine to a point or region of application. . The smaller size and lighter weight will give ship designers more flexibility in using the ship's space, and the ships that use electric drive technology will be faster and more maneuverable, he said. In June the company shipped a prototype 36.5-megawatt permanent magnet motor to the Navy, which is being tested in Philadelphia. The company received $19.7 million in April from an earlier contract to develop the motor. "This is the largest permanent magnet motor in the world," Mr. Armstrong said. "We're confident our technology is ready for prime time." A 15-foot-high mockup mock·up also mock-up n. 1. A usually full-sized scale model of a structure, used for demonstration, study, or testing. 2. A layout of printed matter. of the permanent magnet motor stands on the concrete floor of the plant's manufacturing bay. The real motor, which took nearly two weeks to truck to Philadelphia, weighs 125 tons. Two turbine set packages, resembling rectangular metal boxes with doors and hatches, about 30 feet long and 12 feet high, also sit on the concrete floor. They will be hoisted onto flatbed trailers by a yellow 100-ton-capacity crane that spans the bay on orange roller beams near the 38-foot-high ceiling. The company has built prototype engines for the Navy's proposed Littoral Combat Ship The Littoral Combat Ship is the first of the U.S. Navy's next-generation surface combatants. Intended as a relatively small surface vessel for operations in the littoral region (close to shore), the LCS is smaller than the Navy's guided missile frigates, and have been compared to , a smaller, faster ship for various close-to-shore missions. The Navy plans to build 55 of the so-called LCS LCS - Language for Communicating Systems craft, which will use electric drives. "We see this as a way of the future," Mr. Armstrong said, "a shift to electric drive. Electric magnet technology is coming of age.'' The company is studying retrofitting 50 of the Navy's destroyers with electric motors to make them more fuel efficient, he said. DRS Power Technology is also designing advanced propulsion steam turbines for the Navy's next-generation CVN-78 class of aircraft carriers as a subcontractor One who takes a portion of a contract from the principal contractor or from another subcontractor. When an individual or a company is involved in a large-scale project, a contractor is often hired to see that the work is done. for Dresser-Rand Co. Nearly 60 percent of the unit's work involves military projects, but it builds and ships about 30 turbine generators a year for use in electric power plants. The company also builds 50-horsepower electric motors that are used on drilling rigs, and its 1,000-horsepower motor-generator is used on Boston's Silver Line buses, he said. Daniel P. Curley, executive director of the Fitchburg Industrial Development Commission, said the work once done by GE has continued and branched out into new areas. "GE left, but the expertise these people had remained in the area," he said. "DRS saw their customers and expertise, and bought them. They've got engineering and manufacturing. They do a number of things, gas turbine packaging. They're doing some very exciting things." The city has applied for a $15 million economic development grant from the state to increase the plant's electrical capacity Noun 1. electrical capacity - an electrical phenomenon whereby an electric charge is stored capacitance, capacity electrical phenomenon - a physical phenomenon involving electricity , provide noise reduction, install ventilation and loading docks and reinforce the floor, Mr. Curley said. If awarded, the company plans to test the turbines it builds. They are currently shipped to test facilities in other states, adding cost and time to the customer. Mr. Curley said the proposed upgrades to the 19th century building would help the company get more contracts. He called DRS Power Technology's move into the empty plant the cornerstone of a 20-year, $28 million urban renewal project by Fitchburg. "It's been a huge positive for the city," he said of the company. "If those improvements get done, they're all going to become a permanent part of the facility. It would be one of only three facilities in the country that can do this kind of work.'' Improving the factory would give DRS a competitive advantage, Mr. Curley said. When motors are tested off-site and a problem arises, a DRS team has to be sent to the location. "This will give them an edge in bidding for these contracts,'' he said. While the company has not replaced the 600 workers and $30 million payroll that were lost when GE pulled out, it employs about 100 people in a plant that many feared would sit idle. Mayor Dan H. Mylott pointed out that Power Technology is thriving on work that GE concluded had no market. "I think there is a lot of irony there," Mr. Mylott said. "It worked out well for the city. General Electric did $13 million in environmental work and gave the building to us. They were a good neighbor to us. They didn't leave us like they did some other places in the country.'' The mayor said DRS has been a good presence in the city. "The guys who started PTI PTI - Portable Tool Interface live here and they participate in civic things, like our bike race in July. They've been good a corporate citizen. You call on them and they're there when you need them." Mr. Armstrong said with a functional 100-ton crane in the manufacturing plant, the company has the potential to build and test large pieces of equipment. While the company does not comment on possible growth in the aerospace or defense industries, the improvements would give it an edge, he said. . DRS Technologies Inc. Headquarters: Parsippany, N.J. Founded: 1968; became publicly held in 1981 Chief executive: Mark S. Newman Business: Aerospace/defense products and services Employees: 9,700 Financials: Net earnings in fiscal 2007 of $127.1 million, or $3.12 per share, on revenue of $2.82 billion. Stock symbol: DRS Source: DRS Technologies DRS Power Technology Inc. 1940 - General Electric Co. moves into the vacant Manning, Maxwell & Moore railroad supply plant on Boulder Drive. January 1998 - Three G.E. engineers, Edward T. Vitone Jr., Donald W. Forster and David C. Hobson, form Power Technology Inc., a block away, and obtain their first contract a few weeks later to provide support for a new ship propulsion system. March 1998 - G.E. shuts down its 600-employee steam turbine plant. January 2003 - DRS Technologies Inc. purchases Kaman Corp. of Hudson, which makes electric motors. February 2003 - DRS Technologies Inc. purchases Power Technology Inc. for $35 million, and the Fitchburg company is renamed DRS Power Technology Inc. ART: PHOTOS CUTLNE: (1) Richard Armstrong, vice president and general manager of DRS Power Technology Inc., talks about a 15-foot-high mockup of a permanent magnet motor the company produced for the Navy. The motor is the largest of its kind in the world. (2) DRS Power Technology Inc.'s manufacturing space in the former General Electric plant in Fitchburg. PHOTOG pho·tog n. Informal A person who takes photographs, especially as a profession; a photographer. : T&G Staff Photos/RICK CINCLAIR |
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