OUTLOOK
“Mission-Critical” for the Full Business Cycle
An article by Glenair president, Chris Toomey -: Glenair didn’t get its start making industrial-grade interconnect components and then diversify into the Mil-Aero space. In fact, we have always structured our business—and always will—to meet the needs of the most high-reliability air, sea, land, and space systems. Glenair’s tagline, Mission-Critical Interconnect Solutions, spells this out loud and clear: we make high-reliability and high-durability interconnect components for harsh application environments— environments where product failure could be an existential threat to the systems and end-users employing our products. From high-speed avionic connectors, to space-grade wire harnesses, deep-sea cables, and battlefield power and data hubs, we design and build interconnect gear that delivers under the most brutal environmental conditions.
But Mission-Critical doesn’t just mean conventional measures of product durability and quality. It isn’t enough, at least in our minds, to make defect-free components that survive subsea pressures or trips to outer space. A big part of Mission-Critical is moving that ball down the field, it’s designing and building interconnect that truly advance the capabilities and performance of the OEM systems and sub-systems where our products are used. When we engineer smaller and lighter connectors that still meet the most stringent industry performance benchmarks, that’s Mission-Critical. When we invent a new plating process that delivers longer life and superior electrical resistance, that’s Mission-Critical. When we master the art of high-speed data transmission with cables and contact densities that enable customers to radically optimize the SWaP of their systems, that’s Mission-Critical.
Which brings me, finally, to the main point of this column: the importance of Glenair being the Mission-Critical supplier our customers need us to be not just some of the time, but for the full business cycle. A 12/18/22 article in the NY Times presents a detailed look at the unprecedented level of defence spending anticipated over the coming years. Commercial aircraft backlogs have never been bigger. Space launches and satellite sectors are booming. And the world’s thirst for energy that works (yes, oil and gas) has never been greater. But without exception, the readiness reviews we conduct for our most important customers and programs all say the same thing: Glenair has the factory capacity, the engineering, fabrication and assembly talent, raw materials, approvals, qualification and test resources, component-part and finished goods inventories (and more!) necessary to meet today’s—and tomorrow’s—most aggressive production requirements.
“Mission-Critical” puts high demands on an organization. It is a practice where even the smallest things can have a big impact. Most importantly, it is a discipline that anticipates the mercurial nature of the business cycle with a “be prepared” attitude and a commitment to meeting customer requirements during both the worst of times and the best.
This article appears in our January edition of QwikConnect. If you would like to subscribe, please click here.
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