Gov. Malloy Tours Manufacturing Metrology Lab

The University of Hartford’s College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) is home to a unique lab that provides students with skills vital to the manufacturing industry. Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy visited the Manufacturing Metrology Lab on Friday, Oct. 25, to learn how it can help Connecticut’s economy.

CETA Dean Lou Manzione (right) discusses the benefits of the Manufacturing Metrology Lab with Gov. Dannel Malloy.

Metrology is the technology of automated precision measurement of complex manufactured parts that can be used to assure rigorous specifications are met. Workers trained in metrology are important to the more than 4,000 manufacturers in Connecticut who provide more than 165,000 jobs.

“We try to uncover skill gaps,” CETA Dean Lou Manzione told Malloy as he gave him a tour of the lab. “It’s critical to this state. You’ve made job creation a real cornerstone of your administration and we support you strongly on that.”

Manzione also explained that these precise measurements enable parts to be exchanged worldwide, because there is confidence that the parts meet international companies’ standards.

“This facility is an enabler of global supply chains,” said Manzione. “This enables Connecticut manufacturers to remain competitive in a fiercely competitive global environment.”

Malloy said he was glad to have the opportunity to take the tour.

“It’s a great looking laboratory, the equipment is great, and the level of cooperation between parties is wonderful,” he told Manzione.

The Manufacturing Metrology Lab opened just over a year ago with support from Pratt & Whitney. Firms and organizations such as Nikon, Zygo, Faro Arm, and the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT) provided the equipment in the lab.