I The journey of taking an idea of a product from conception through development and manufacturing may appear straightforward. However, while companies can often explain the end product’s functionality, precise product specifications such as weight, power, and material lifespan are frequently overlooked. Often, even though a company has a thorough grasp on one aspect of the product lifecycle, they may want assistance in another. And even as there are several appealing benefits to developing a new product, such as improved product performance gain, businesses generally do not want to interfere with existing designs or product lines, as shutting down a production line to build a prototype or diverting a team of engineers to a task that is only a short hit is impractical. Topping it is the exorbitant expense of prototyping and manufacturing, which frequently prevents a firm from proceeding with production. This is where Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) steps in to assist customers in navigating through the product’s entire lifecycle.

“We do an excellent job of bringing forth new technologies, materials, and methods to handle any aspect of the product’s lifecycle, whether it’s light weighting or cost reduction, or a mix of both, to improve or prolong its life,” says Mike Pollock, Senior Director, Engineering and Manufacturing, CTC. Being an applied research and development company, CTC takes great pride in bridging the gap between lower technology readiness level solutions and what the Department of Defense (DoD) or commercial clients require. Alongside cutting-edge technological capabilities, the company also offers holistic, advanced manufacture-able solutions through its in-house team of experts.

As a nonprofit, CTC does not advocate any particular solution but rather seeks the cream of the crop solutions to tackle the difficulties that clients encounter. Drawing on decades of experience and in-house resources, the company provides engineering, analysis, and prototyping services. Having all of these elements under one roof enables CTC to build a better end product at a significantly lower cost.

In addition to these capabilities, CTC takes great pride in its ability to be flexible and adaptive when the client is unable to build prototypes due to the lack of in-house production resources. To this end, the company can also bring in the relevant personnel–designers or manufacturing specialists–and tie everything together to get a prototype out the door. “We are a one-stop-shop with a wealth of knowledge in-house to fulfill product lifecycle requirements,” says Ken Sabo, Senior Director, Manufacturing.

We are a one-stop-shop with a wealth of knowledge in-house to fulfill product lifecycle requirements

Exceptional Customer Service from the Ground up
To emphasize the competency of CTC, Shawn Rhodes, Principal Mechanical Engineer, goes on to describe work the company did for the US army. The client needed to reduce the soldier load by reducing the weight of ammunition. CTC examined all of the Army requirements, evaluating why they use brass as a material, understanding the manufacturing, logistics and cost requirements, and considering extreme hot and cold environments encountered in the field. With this information, the company developed a new ammunition design using a novel manufacturing process. The solution utilizes a lighter-weight stainless steel cartridge case which acts as a drop in replacement for all Army fielded equipment and weapons. Additionally, CTC evolved it from a concept to a lab-scale, and it is now entering low-rate initial production. This was a complicated program in terms of requirements, designs, testing, and validation, but CTC was able to complete it successfully, resulting in a 15 percent weight savings over the original brass. “According to the government’s specifications, they wanted at least 10 percent, but we delivered more than that while still meeting the drop in replacement requirements,” states Rhodes.

The company adopts a collaborative approach to work closely with clients to build long-term trusted relationships as it guides them through the product development lifecycle. Owing to its in-house expertise in materials, manufacturing, and design, CTC distinguishes itself substantially with its ability to inject itself at any point of the lifecycle and fill gaps where clients may lack technical resources. In addition to engineering and prototyping services, CTC can provide customers with transitory solutions by overseeing manufacturing and production plans and ensuring that their product is successful.

With such success stories under its belt, the company is expanding its capabilities in all areas of engineering and manufacturing to continue providing quick prototyping and demonstration for customers. In the coming years, CTC is looking forward to hiring personnel with superior technological expertise in materials and manufacturing, as well as designing systems. This will enable the company to deliver enhanced speed and throughput, which will not only benefit customers but also contribute to CTC’s growth. “The quicker we can help them get to the market with new solutions, the better chances they have of securing it,” concludes Pollock.