CT Celebrates Manufacturing Month Highlighting Drone Technology and More

More than 225 business leaders learned about limitless opportunities in the drone industry at the Annual Meeting of ManufactureCT held just days before the start of Manufacturing Month in October.

Described as the state’s most prominent non-profit manufacturing association, ManufactureCT provides professional development, resources and information, advocacy and outreach, networking and ongoing support to a diversity of manufacturers and related industries.

The evening began with an in-person networking for the manufacturing professionals, along with a welcome address by Executive Director Jamison Scott and the President’s Message from Jill Mayer, CEO of Bead Industries, which includes Bead Chain and Bead Electronics, based in Milford.

Formed in 1913, ManufactureCT changed its name in 2020 from New Haven Manufacturers Association because it now attracts members from across the state representing diverse verticals within Connecticut’s manufacturing sector. Outreach initiatives have successfully diversified the organization, growing its cohorts of young manufacturers and women in manufacturing.

Members are mostly manufacturers with advanced manufacturing capabilities, but the organization’s directory spans firms that make precision instruments for medical and aerospace industries, security devices for information systems, specialty chemicals, fixtures in metals, plastics, and other materials using a range of technologies and processes from 3D printing to traditional stamping and machine tooling, and more. Some have been operating as family businesses for several generations, others are larger, multinational corporations.

Keynote speaker Barry Alexander, Founder and CEO of Aquiline Drones in Hartford, inspired the group by explaining his company’s new decentralizing manufacturing system – the Aquiline Agile Manufacturing Pod, or AMP, a portable, high-tech workstation that can be installed in homes, businesses, even the military battlefield, to address the growing demand for drone services.

Each mobile AMP workspace transforms any 12 x 12-foot area into a mini manufactory center that can house one-three workers and come equipped with a 3-D printer, tools, electronic components, hardware, and partitions.

Additionally, Alexander shared how he constructed Connecticut’s only drone manufacturing plant during the pandemic, explained the necessity of hiring local talent in partnership with Capital Workforce Partners and CTHires, as well as the importance of producing American-made UAVs for state and national security.

“Barry’s message was a powerful call to action for our state manufacturing industry to move into the high-tech sector,” said Scott. “His incredible story of triumph over adversity captivated every manufacturing, political and business leader in the room.”

Attendees were also able to see Aquiline Drones’ popular Spartacus Max UAV up close on display. The commercial drone fulfills a variety of tasks for the manufacturing industry, such as asset inspection, plant maintenance and employee surveillance.

Aquiline Drones (AD) has also spent the past two years establishing an airline division dedicated to the timely transport of human tissue, organs, blood and other time-critical cargo.  The company this week announced the culmination of its extensive effort and official formation of AD Airlines after being awarded its Air Carrier Certificate by the FAA on September 16, 2021, which enables AD to commercialize its lifesaving tissue and organ delivery service. 

Specifically, AD Airlines will implement its patent-pending and unique Mixed Modal Transport Model (R2M2), starting with the use of manned aircraft, and gradually incorporating drones as FAA approvals are realized.  R2M2 is an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven transportation logistics platform supported by the AD Cloud.  It uses AI algorithms embedded in AD’s cognitive agent “Spartacus’ to manage a hyper-ledger blockchain platform to optimize transportation logistics.  Essentially, AD Airlines plans on using both drones and planes on its Air Carrier Certificate to provide a first-ever comprehensive solution to the human organ and tissue transplant delivery system within the medical industry.

Also this week, Aquiline Drones announced that significant delays in the supply chain worldwide have led the company to institute layoffs, including 13 people in manufacturing and 20 in customer service and sales.  

Aquiline Drones Corporation (AD) is a progressive American drone manufacturer and cloud solutions company located in the financial district of downtown Hartford. AD's core management comprises highly experienced aviators, systems engineers, IT gurus, military personnel (including veterans), and business strategists.

AD delivers a vertically integrated blend of products and services. These include an aviation cloud for commercial drones, US-based drone manufacturing, drone "maintenance-repair-overhaul" (MRO) services, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) solutions for large enterprises and governments, a superior line of Spartacus drone products, a robust UAS training academy, and the country's first 'drone-on-demand' service enabling customers to order drone services through a proprietary mobile app.