ST. MARYS – A local business is helping to keep the U.S.
military safer by manufacturing the ceramic inserts for body
armor.
Morgan AM&T has a new business application for the
development of production of body armor and vehicle armor for the
military.
The company began manufacturing the breast and back plates in
2001 and the side plates in just the last year after the threat
level increased in 2005. The powder is mixed at the St. Marys
branch and the actual plates are formed at the Coudersport
facility.
From there, the plates are sent to ArmorWorks Inc. in Phoenix
and added to the vests. They are the ones with the military
contracts. Morgan AM&T doesn’t sell the plates directly to the
government.
“We are very proud of our development and production of body
armor and vehicle armor for our troops serving around the world,”
Larry Thorwart, business director for armor products at Morgan
AM&T, said. “We are very proud to be serving the U.S. men and
women in the armed services.”
The plates can stop armor piercing bullets traveling at 3,000
feet per second and multiple hits on the same plate. Not only does
the bullet stop, but the impact compression is stopped from backing
of the vest. If the bullet impact were to go into the vest too far,
the soldier could die from blunt force trauma.
“We have many success stories, but we are just not at liberty to
discuss any of the details,” Thorwart said.
A natural continuation of the body armor is armor for vehicles
and aircraft. The goal is to turn into more of that production in
the future. Last year, the company was awarded a $1 million
research and development grant for improved armor materials by the
U.S. Army. The development will take place in 2007 and will create
additional jobs.
The St. Marys’ branch of Morgan AM&T was selected as the
2007 St. Marys Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year. The
Coudersport branch was the 2006 Coudersport Chamber of Commerce
Business of the Year. The honors are due in part to the increase of
100 employees between the two branches thanks to the manufacturing
of the plates and their continuing reinvestment in the company.
Morgan AM&T has been in Coudersport since 1957 and in St.
Marys since the 1930’s. Morgan AM&T was formed in 1995 after
the acquisition of Pure Carbon Co. by the Morgan Crucible Company.
The St. Marys branch is a key manufacturing facility of Morgan
AM&T, as well as housing the company’s central technology,
sales, application engineering, human resources, finance, IT and
materials management teams.
The company is also supplying the United Kingdom’s Ministry of
Defense (similar to the U.S. Department of Defense).
