Author: <span>Scott Jackson</span>

Essex Industries is pleased to announce Garrett Ferris has joined the company as Vice President/General Manager at the Essex location in Milford, CT.

Garrett comes to Essex from Saint-Gobain where he held site management roles, most recently plant manager. Prior to that, he held engineering roles with Sikorsky.

Garrett holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Penn State and brings a diverse skill base which includes lean manufacturing, supply chain management, quality management, regulatory compliance, and more. Garrett and his wife (Lauren) have two boys (Connor & Calvin) and live in Trumbull, CT.

Essex is thankful for Mathew “MJ” Johnston’s leadership at Milford for the past year and a half. He will be transitioning back to St Louis and returning to his role as Vice President of Business Development.

Essex Industries announces its 75th Year Anniversary. After serving in England as a Private in World War II, Harold Guller founded Essex in 1947 recognizing the need to support the emerging aerospace jet-age with highly engineered products. Upon completing his college degree, Harold’s brother Sidney Guller joined the young company. The brothers grew the business out of their father’s St. Louis, MO basement and shaped Essex into a leading aerospace and defense products manufacturer that prioritized taking exceptional care of their customers and employees.

Essex products are on board nearly every US fighter, trainer, bomber, cargo aircraft, and various ground combat vehicle currently in operation worldwide. As a part of virtually every major military and commercial aerospace program since 1947, Essex supplies human-machine interface controls, including hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) grips, hands-on cyclic and collective, pedestal assemblies, control wheels, weapons system officer (WSO) hand controls, and cockpit control panels for fixed-wing, rotary-wing, and land combat vehicles. Also, thousands of Essex’s precision manufactured aircraft components and sub-assemblies are part of fuel, hydraulic, pneumatic, and oxygen systems.

Essex entered the cryogenics market in 1963 with designs and the capability to manufacture liquid oxygen (LOX) converters, a highly efficient oxygen storage and delivery method. Initially used by aircraft pilots and crew, this technology has readily transferred to air and ground-based medical life support equipment for both military and commercial applications.

In 1991, Essex acquired the Portable Breathing and Rescue Products Division from The DuPont® Corporation, which became the foundation for the company’s Emergency Breathing Equipment line of business. Essex is proud to serve its military and commercial aviation customers around the world with these critical safety products.

Currently, Essex reaches from coast to coast, with 400 employees in its five locations in St. Louis, MO, Huntington Beach, CA, and Milford, CT. The business remains family-owned and operated. Third-generation CEO, Evan Waldman, who now leads the company, is excited about the future and the company’s continued growth. “Essex’s 75^th anniversary is a testament to so many talented and committed people that have worked in this business over the years,” Waldman said. “It is also a call to action for the incredible team working at Essex today to write the next chapter in the Essex story.”

“Whether the Essex team is designing and qualifying our own products to meet customer specifications or collaborating with our customers to bring their product designs to life, we are energized for the future and filled with purpose.”

Control Devices, a portfolio company of HBM Holdings, announced it has acquired the medical gas regulator product line of Essex Industries January 31, 2022. Control Devices, founded in 1963, is a leading designer and manufacturer of highly engineered flow-control products utilized in niche applications across a diverse array of end markets.

The acquisition expands Control Devices’ portfolio in the medical gas regulator space. Essex Industries, an engineered products manufacturer, focused on aerospace and defense, has designed and commercialized medical gas regulators for patients requiring respiratory therapy in residential care facilities, hospitals, and clinics. For decades, their products have been the industry standard for reliability, durability, and precise delivery of medical gases. Essex regulators are the preferred products for major OEMs and gas companies worldwide.

The Essex Industries medical gas regulator product line will be marketed under the Control Devices brand going forward.

“For more than 50 years, Control Devices has been trusted to deliver solutions to their customers’ application-specific challenges. The company has a long history of demonstrated engineering expertise with an in-house engineering team, diverse markets served, and a reputation for outstanding quality,” Scott Kerns, Control Devices CEO, commented. “We are excited to add an industry leader to our portfolio.”

“Essex Industries remains focused on its aerospace and defense core and will continue to prioritize growth in this sector,” said Evan Waldman, Essex Industries CEO. “I am excited to see Control Devices enhance the medical gas regulator product line and build on its success.”

Essex Industries is pleased to announce that Mike Balbuena has joined the company as Vice President of Quality Assurance and Compliance.

Mike is a hands-on, process-oriented leader who is energized by working with people to solve problems and seek continuous improvement. His work experience includes leadership roles at Collins Aerospace, Crane Aerospace and Esterline Mason with 25 years in manufacturing, 15 years in quality leadership roles.

He holds an MBA and degrees in mechanical engineering, quality engineering and quality assurance in manufacturing and has achieved certification in supply chain management, Six Sigma Lean blackbelt, quality engineer, quality auditor and quality manager/operation excellence.

Essex Industries is pleased to announce the acquisition of Stevens Manufacturing, an Aerospace and Defense manufacturing company located in Milford, CT, effective February 16, 2021.

Founded in 1947, Essex Industries is a leading supplier to the Aerospace and Defense market, providing platform controls, aircraft components, emergency breathing and liquid oxygen equipment. The company employs over 440 people in its St. Louis, MO and Huntington Beach, CA facilities.

Stevens Manufacturing provides precision machined OEM parts and sub-assemblies to aerospace and defense companies primarily supporting the rotorcraft market. Originating in the 1950s, the company has been a J.H. Whitney Capital Partners LLC portfolio business since 2014. Stevens operates from a single 62,000 sq. ft. facility with 54 employees.

The acquisition of Stevens supports Essex’ business strategy of further expanding its aerospace and defense product portfolio. With Steven’s location, it will also provide improved service for customers in the North East.

According to Evan Waldman, Essex CEO, “Essex and Stevens Manufacturing share common markets, manufacturing expertise and values. Working together, we will be able to offer a broader range of products and enhanced service for our customers.”

The company will continue to operate as Stevens Manufacturing in Milford, CT.

The User Manual for your Essex PBE (Portable Breathing Equipment), has been revised to include the new PBE p/n MR-10053N.

Should you require a new copy, please contact:

Kathy Kerley | [email protected] | 314.529.4401

We can be reached for questions during business hours M-F. Thank you for your prompt attention.