Mercury Systems adds to workforce at new N.H. site
Photo courtesy of Mercury Systems Inc.
A wire-bonding machine works on an integrated microwave assembly at Mercury Systems' new Advanced Microelectronics Center in Hudson, N.H.
Mercury Systems Inc. of Chelmsford has expanded its workforce in New Hampshire, with a new, state-of-the-art facility that houses production of specialized technology for its supercomputer systems used primarily in military vehicles.
Mercury executives and New Hampshire officials celebrated the grand opening of the 72,000-square-foot building, the company’s Advanced Microelectronics Center (AMC), on April 21.
There, Mercury Systems is designing and producing radio frequency (RF) and microwave technology components, which a spokesman described as “esoteric pieces of technology” that help build the systems used in both the defense and commercial sectors. Those include satellite communication and warfare applications.
N.H. site a 'very good fit'
The AMC is designed for both production and design, and leverages the investment of the prior tenants, according to Anthony Sweeney, vice president and general manager of Mercury’s RF and microwave components group. Mercury visited a number of sites, including those in Massachusetts, before settling on the Hudson location. Sweeney declined to identify other locations Mercury considered.
“The infrastructure was phenomenal. It was a very, very good fit for our business,” Sweeney said.
The opening of the AMC in New Hampshire, a sister facility to Mercury’s AMC facility in West Caldwell, N.J., follows the company’s acquisition of two area firms.
The first, announced in January 2011, was LNX Corp. of Salem, N.H., which enhanced Mercury’s radio frequency and signal processing capabilities, according to a statement. Then, in August 2012, Mercury acquired Micronetics Inc., a leading designer and manufacturer of radio frequency and microwave subsystems. Micronetics was based in Hudson, N.H., up the street from new AMC facility, Sweeney said.
The operations of the two New Hampshire companies were integrated and brought under one roof at the new facility. There were 90 employees between the two acquired companies, but Mercury is now employing 160 in Hudson. Sweeney said the facility is not yet at capacity, and the company may further grow its operations there.
Catering to 'prime' defense contractors
According to Sweeney, establishing an AMC in New Hampshire was not just about increasing production capability.
“When we set out to create a consolidated facility like this … we were really looking for something that mirrors what the primes have in house,” said Sweeney, referring to high-profile defense contractors Mercury counts as clients, such as Raytheon, Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin.
That means creating a state-of-the-art environment that makes those clients feel like they’re walking into one of their own facilities, according to Sweeney. At the AMC, Mercury has the expertise and capacity to help those companies produce parts that they’re having trouble making in house.
“Really, Mercury specifically is a best-of-breed provider, so our position is to solve very difficult problems,” Sweeney said.
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