Arizona Manufacturers Council Names PING, Universal Avionics as Manufacturers of the Year
May 11, 2009Arizona Manufacturers Council Names PING, Universal Avionics as Manufacturers of the Year
U.S. Representative Trent Franks to speak at awards luncheon May 29
PHOENIX – The Arizona Manufacturers Council (AMC) is proud to announce the winners of the 2009 Manufacturer of the Year Awards. PING has been selected as Manufacturer of the Year and Universal Avionics will receive this year’s award as outstanding small manufacturer. Both companies will be honored at a luncheon on May 29 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort.
U.S. Representative Trent Franks (CD-2) will give the luncheon address. Representative Franks is serving his 4th term in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Judiciary Committee.
“This year’s winners exemplify dedication to product innovation and a commitment to the State of Arizona,” said Mark Dobbins, chairman of the AMC and vice chair of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry. “PING and Universal Avionics are outstanding choices for Manufacturers of the Year.”
Glenn Hamer, president & CEO of the Arizona Chamber echoed Chairman Dobbins’ sentiments, and added, “We are excited to have Congressman Franks as our key note speaker. His insight on manufacturing, specifically the aerospace and defense industry, will be greatly appreciated.”
PING: Fifty years ago, the first PING® putter was shipped from the Redwood City, California garage of Karsten and Louise Solheim. The PING 1A™ putter represented the beginning of a revolution in golf club design and manufacturing that would see Karsten’s company grow into a brand world renowned for innovation and unequalled quality.
The engineering theory behind the first putter, termed heel-toe balance because most of the weight was concentrated in the heel and toe, set the standard for modern club design. Karsten, with his family at his side, went on to pioneer custom fitting and bring new processes to the manufacturing of golf clubs, including investment casting and heat treating. He recognized the value of scientific research and employed high speed cameras and a robotic golfer (The PING Man) to analyze the dynamics of the golf club. His insistence on adhering to strict engineering principles and tight manufacturing tolerances raised the level of product performance and quality throughout the golf industry. It all led to more enjoyment for golfers all over the world.
Today, the Phoenix, Arizona-based company, where more than 800 workers leave their marks on PING products every day, is under the leadership of Karsten’s youngest son, John A. Solheim. The company remains family owned in its quest to develop the most innovative and highest quality golf equipment in the world. Like his father, John A. shares a passion and understanding for engineering that sets the tone for the company’s insistence on improving a product’s performance through innovative design and precise manufacturing techniques.
UNIVERSAL AVIONICS: Universal Avionics Systems Corporation is a Tucson, Arizona based, privately owned corporation that was formed in 1981 by Hubert L. Naimer, an avid business jet pilot, with the goal of designing and developing the first Flight Management System (FMS) for the business and air transport aviation marketplace. Universal Avionics has always viewed the primary purpose of its products as being to improve aircraft safety by reducing pilot workload and improving pilot situational awareness. Their guiding philosophy of products being made by pilots for pilots has kept the company’s culture focused on this purpose for over 25 years.
Universal Avionics Systems Corporation (UASC) is a leading manufacturer of avionics systems used worldwide on a full range of aircraft types from helicopters to corporate turbine aircraft and large commercial airliners. Its products are designed to meet or exceed emerging communication and navigation requirements as we move toward the realization of “free flight” in the airspace environment of the future. UASC offers a complete line of flight management systems, cockpit instrument displays, a terrain awareness and warning system, a cockpit/ground communications data-link, navigation position sensors, and cockpit voice recorders. Universal Avionics’ products have the ability to communicate with advanced digital busses and older existing analogue systems enabling customers to select a full complement of products for their new or existing aircraft. UASC products are sold, installed and certified in customer aircraft through a worldwide network of 224 authorized dealers and service centers. Additionally, UASC products are offered as factory installations at 21 aircraft OEMs from around the world.
The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is committed to advancing Arizona’s competitive position in the global economy by advocating free-market policies that stimulate economic growth and prosperity for all Arizonans.
The Arizona Manufacturers Council within the Arizona Chamber is the state affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). For more on manufacturing and NAM, visit http://www.nam.org/.
###
back
