EMS Technologies, Inc.  held a groundbreaking celebration this week for a new, 30,000-square-foot expansion of its Defense & Space Systems Division (D&SS) facilities, located in Gwinnett’s Technology Park. More than 300 employees and special guests attended the event on Sept. 29.

The expanded facility is scheduled to be completed in March 2009 and will serve as the new home for much larger labs and facilities for the division’s machine shop, B-2 lab, environmental lab and integration and test lab, among others.  The expansion is much needed due to the strong growth of D&SS over the last 15 months. D&SS technology is integral to the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor and B-2 AEHF programs, while its RF and antenna systems power XM Radio and make LiveTV possible on JetBlue Airways. 

“It’s a great day for EMS Technologies,” said EMS President and CEO Paul Domorski. “Despite the economic misfortunes occurring in the market, we have continued to expand. Since January 2007, the Defense and Space Systems business has grown by 35 percent, adding 127 more people. We would not want to build a new facility in this market if we didn’t believe in the people and in the markets we serve. We believe in our people, in our business and in our customers.”

David Smith, vice president and general manager of D&SS, credits the division’s success to its employees’ hard work and full engagement, noting, “The entire division got behind our growth strategy. We have expanded the business, including being successful at winning contracts that we expect to have higher annual production for a number of years. Today’s groundbreaking is an outward sign of our belief in this growth.”

VIP attendees at the groundbreaking were: Paul Hogan, president, and George Clackum, group vice president, of Hogan Construction Group, which won the EMS contract; and Julie Chesnut and Michael Schneider, principals of Schneider Wright Inc., the project’s architectural interior design firm. Also in attendance was Melanie Brandt, business development manager with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

Hogan noted that the construction work will begin in the next two weeks and the new wing of D&SS should be completed by March 2009. It will connect to EMS’s main D&SS building, which was originally constructed in 1987.  

“We’re honored to support EMS’s expansion by producing a facility that not only meets the needs of EMS, but also serves as a platform to support future growth,” said Hogan.  “This project requires very close coordination with EMS Facilities and the architectural design firm of Schneider Wright, as we look to marry a new facility to EMS’s current building, while keeping the company’s existing operations up and running.”

About EMS Technologies, Inc.   

EMS Technologies, Inc.  is an advanced technology and a leading “connectivity company.”  With a leadership position in the aeronautical, defense and wireless logistics computing markets, EMS keeps people, systems and data connected, wherever they are -- on the ground, in the air, or in space.  Headquartered in Atlanta, EMS employs 1,100 staff in four divisions, SATCOM, LXE, Defense & Space Systems, and Sky Connect. It has major manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, Ottawa, Canada, and Takoma Park, Md. 

EMS’s Defense & Space Systems (D&SS) Division enables many of today’s most advanced military and commercial space applications. EMS microwave systems serve the battlespace in communications, surveillance, precision-strike and electronic warfare.  Its low-observable, compact, and high-performance RF systems work across all warfighter platforms -- from space, air, ground and sea, to the soldier traveling on foot. D&SS also provides antenna capabilities for next-generation commercial satellites for entertainment and Internet connectivity. D&SS’s customers include the world’s best defense and space companies. For more information, visit EMS on the World Wide Web at www.ems-t.com. 

Editor’s Note: Download a photo of the groundbreaking ceremony in the D&SS Photo Gallery at: www.ems-t.com/eventsgallery.