Essex Industries is Supplier for F-35 JSF Program

F35_JSF_Stick&ThrottleEssex is pleased to announce their selection as a supplier for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter produced by Lockheed Martin.

The F-35 is a 5th Generation fighter, combining aircraft characteristics of advanced stealth, integrated avionics, sensor fusion and superior logistics support with the most powerful and comprehensive integrated sensor package of any fighter aircraft in history.  Variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, as well as a variety of fighters for ten other countries.

Essex received a contract for the design, development and manufacture of both the sidestick and throttle grip.  They are also supplying scavenge valves, which support optimum engine performance.

According to Robert Geisz, Vice President of Sales and Business Development, “Our selection as supplier for the F-35 program continues the dominance Essex has on major platforms in the fixed-wing market.”

Essex Receives Order from Qantas for PBE

Protective Breathing Equipment

Essex Industries is pleased to announce an order from Qantas for their PBE, Protective Breathing Equipment.

The Essex PBE is designed to provide crewmembers with ocular, head and respiratory protection during emergency conditions in an aircraft cabin. A minimum of 15 minutes of protection is provided to the wearer, as aviator’s grade oxygen is released into unit. Its unique design provides 270° of visibility and eliminates the need for an oral/nasal mask so that crewmembers can communicate while wearing the unit. The PBE holds FAA TSO-C116 and TSO-C99 approvals as well as CAA, EASA, CAAC and ANAC approvals. Recognized for their safe design, Essex PBE units are installed in the majority of U.S. airlines and a number of carriers throughout the world.

Founded in regional Queensland in 1920 – as the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service – Qantas is one of Australia’s most iconic brands and has played a central role in the development of the Australian and international aviation industry. Today the Qantas Group is a diverse global aviation business, compromising Qantas Domestic, Qantas International, the Jetstar low-cost carrier group and Qantas Loyalty. In total, the Qantas Group operates more than 7,300 flights each week and, together with its codeshare and oneworld partners, offers flights to more than 1000 destinations around the world. Qantas is ranked the world’s safest airline by AirlineRatings.com, the best airline in the Australia-Pacific by Skytrax, and holds many major awards for service, food and wine, technology and innovation.

Essex Receives Contract from Emirates Airline for PBE

Protective Breathing Equipment - PBE

Essex Industries is pleased to announce a contract from Emirates Airlines to outfit their fleet of Airbus and Boeing aircraft with the Essex PBE, Protective Breathing Equipment. This multimillion dollar contract was obtained through the Essex distributor, Safari Aviation Services of the United Arab Emirates.

With over 3,400 Emirates flights departing from Dubai International Airport each week, Emirates is the world’s largest international airline, operating an all wide-bodied fleet of 234 aircraft with a further 278 on order.  A leader in the aviation industry, Emirates is the most valuable airline brand worldwide, according to The Brand Finance Global 500 report for 2014. By selecting the Essex PBE, Emirates has demonstrated their confidence in the safety of this product.

The PBE is designed to provide crewmembers with ocular, head and respiratory protection during emergency conditions in an aircraft cabin. A minimum of 15 minutes of protection is provided to the wearer, as aviator’s grade oxygen is released into the unit. Its unique design provides 270° of visibility and eliminates the need for an oral/nasal mask so that crewmembers can communicate while wearing the unit. The PBE holds FAA TSO-C116 and TSO-C99 approvals as well as CAA, EASA, CAAC and ANAC approvals. Recognized for their safe design, Essex PBE units are installed in the majority of U.S. airlines and a number of carriers throughout the world.

Essex Receives ETSO Authorization

Essex Industries has obtained European Technical Standard Order (ETSO) Authorization in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 748/2012. Part 21, Section A, Subpart O and ETSO C99, C116 which covers the PBE MR-100x series manufactured at Essex Industries.

The Essex PBE is designed to provide crewmembers with ocular, head and respiratory protection during emergency conditions in an aircraft cabin. A minimum of 15 minutes of protection is provided to the wearer, as aviator’s grade oxygen is released into the unit. Its unique design provides 270° of visibility and eliminates the need for an oral/nasal mask so that crewmembers can communicate while wearing the unit. The PBE holds FAA TSO-C116, TSO-C99 approvals as well as CAA, EASA, CAAC and ANAC approvals. Recognized for their safe design, Essex PBE units are installed in the majority of U.S. airlines and a number of carriers throughout the world.

OGL Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance

OGLEssex is pleased to announce that they have received FDA 510(k) Clearance on the Oxygen Generator and Liquefier (OGL).  This clearance covers the use of the OGL in military and commercial applications to produce and transfer liquid oxygen (LOX) into portable systems, such as the Essex BMOS (Backpack Medical Oxygen System), MMOS (Mounted Medical Oxygen System) and NPTLOX (Next Generation Portable Therapeutic Liquid Oxygen System). These portable systems are then used to provide supplemental oxygen for patients during transport.

The Essex OGL is designed to liquefy, store and fill LOX equipment. The system generates 1 liquid liter of 93% USP oxygen per hour, with an onboard LOX storage capacity of 40 liters. The OGL has a user-friendly operator interface and runs on standard 240 VAC. Designed for reliability in harsh conditions, the OGL is portable using a fork lift or pallet transport.

The FDA 510(k) Clearance Number for the Essex OGL is K131990.

Essex CEO Keith Guller Named Global Business Person of the Year

CEO Keith Guller has been named Global Business Person of the Year recently at the World Trade Center St. Louis’ Growing Global event; this event recognizes area companies who’ve succeeded on a global scale.

At the October 9th awards dinner, Essex was recognized for their support and commitment to CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management) certifications and training for their employees.

Essex Industries Selected as Supplier for Bell 525 Relentless Program

Bell 525 Grip and Pedestal_(2x2)Essex is pleased to announce their selection as a supplier for the Bell 525 Relentless Program.

The New Bell 525 helicopter is due for first flight in 2014.  The aircraft is designed for markets that require larger helicopters with more range and a larger cargo/baggage hold.

This award provides Essex with a long-term contract for the design, development and manufacture of the pilot and copilot Cyclic and Collective Grip Assemblies as well as the complete Control Post Assemblies

Essex LOX Equipment Selected by Japanese Ministry of Defense

On March 11, 2011, the most powerful earthquake ever known to hit Japan occurred off their Pacific coast.  The earthquake triggered massive tsunami waves which travelled inland, causing three nuclear reactors to meltdown.

The aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami created a humanitarian crisis of epic proportion–a reported 15,867 dead, 6,109 injured and 2,909 missing.  Over 340,000 people were displaced from their homes and the area suffered shortages of food, water, shelter, medicine and fuel.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense (JMOD) immediately mobilized their Self Defense Forces (JSDF) to search for and aid survivors.  In their medical relief efforts, they dealt with widespread power outages and serious problems locating and deploying gaseous oxygen in the field to the victims.

To learn more about this story and how they have prepared for future disasters with the help of Essex, click here.

Essex LOX Converters Used in Space Jump

On October 14, 2012, Felix Baumgartner jumped to Earth from a balloon 24 Miles above New Mexico and made history.  The 43 year-old Austrian became the first skydiver to break the sound barrier, reaching a maximum velocity of 834 mph (Mach 1.24) and setting records for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump and fastest speed by a human through the atmosphere.

As he rose to record heights in the stratosphere for his jump, Baumgartner was protected in a specially-built pressurized capsule.  At his jump altitude, the air pressure is less than 2% of what it is at sea level, making it impossible to breathe without an oxygen supply.

Two Essex 10 liter LOX converters were installed on the capsule which provided Baumgartner with oxygen to breathe at the elevated altitude.  Additionally, an Essex 25 liter nitrogen converter and three heat exchangers were used for this record-breaking event.

Eight million YouTube viewers have watched Baumgartner’s achievement and National Geographic has released a documentary in conjunction with the BBC called “Space Dive”. Check it out to see if you can spot the Essex equipment.

Essex Industries Receives Silver Boeing Performance Excellence Award

Essex is proud to announce that it has received two 2012 Boeing Performance Excellence Awards.  The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance.  Essex maintained a Silver composite performance rating each month of the 12-month performance period, from October 1, 2011 to September 30, 2012.

This year, Boeing recognized 594 suppliers who achieved either a Gold or Silver level Boeing Performance Excellence Award.  Essex is one of only 441 suppliers to receive the Silver level of recognition.

Two facilities of Essex received a Silver Award: the Carr Lane Court facility supplies Protective Breathing Equipment (PBE) to Boeing for all of their commercial aircraft and the Chivvis Drive facility provides four different kinds of Heat Exchangers for the C-17 Globemaster III program as well as a variety of spare parts.