Electronic Salesmasters Now Repping Chassis Plans

Continuing to expand our sales channels, we’ve added Electronic Salesmasters, Inc.,  as sales representatives.  ESI will represent Chassis Plans in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky.

 

ESI has a strong presence in:

• Industrial


• Appliance


• Communications


• Transportation


• Military


• Instrumentation


• Datacom


• Medical


• Automotive

 

ESI is characterized by sound financial management, motivation and plans for business continuity. They pride themselvesin being “businessmen in sales”, not just salesmen in business. ESI provides stability, trust and confidence that enhances their relationships with customers throughout the territory.

 

Additional information is available at www.chassis-plans.com/representatives.html.

Electronic Salesmasters Now Repping Chassis Plans

Adds Cornerstone and Midtec as sales representatives

Map of Chassis Plans Sales Reps

We’re please to announce the appointment of two new sales representative groups.

 

Cornerstone Technical Sales will cover Florida with an office in Palm Harbor, FL.  Cornerstone is available at www.ctsrep.com.

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Midtec Associates covers Missouri, Southern Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.  Midtech has offices in Lenexa, KS, and St. Louis.  Midtech can be reached at www.midtec.com.

 

Both these companies have extensive experience in industrial and military computing and will bring a local presence to these states to offer our customers on-site assistance and product expertise.

Adds Cornerstone and Midtec as sales representatives

The 2016 Federal Budget has Healthy Increases for R&D and Defense

The 2016 US budget was released in early February by the President. In this budget there are increases in R&D spending in general and the defense budget. For the past several years, since the Budget Control Act (BCA) was passed in 2011, the Defense budget has been decreasing as has the overall spending on R&D in general. The 2016 budget is the start of a turnaround in both Defense related R&D as well as general Science and Technology R&D spending. Whether the proposed budget will pass the scrutiny of congress is another matter.

 

The military budget has been teetering on the brink of disaster for the past several years. With the emphasis on overseas contingency operations (OCO) and the effects of the BCA and sequestration the military has been forced to review every program and every expense for the past five years. This review has not been necessarily bad. The top-down and bottom-up review has forced each branch of the service to focus on what is important for the future needs of the US foreign and domestic policies.

 

The following chart shows the level of defense funding for the past several years as well as the projected spending for the next five years. Although the proposed budget for 2016 of $585B is below the 2010-11 level it is a significant increase from 2015. The majority of the Defense budget is for operations, facilities and personnel but there is still a significant portion allocated for procurement and R&D. The 2016 budget provides for $177.5 billion in procurement and research spending, an increase of $20.4 billion, or 13 percent, over the 2015 budget.

 

 

The Pentagon wants to spend $107.7 billion on procurement and $69.8 billion on research and development, with $12.3 billion falling within that for science and technology spending. The biggest investments include $48.8 billion for aircraft, $25.6 billion for shipbuilding, $8.2 billion for ground systems and $11.9 billion for missiles and munitions.

 

		Procurement and R&D Funding by Branch
Army			Navy			Air Force
Total	$126.5B		Total	$161B		Total	$122.2B
R&D	$6.9B		R&D	$17.9B		R&D	$18B
%	5.40%		%	11%		%	14.70%

 

For the Army, there are significant upgrades planned for existing vehicles such as Abrahams, Bradley and Striker vehicles. There is also funding for a Humvee replacement. A lot of the upgrades are for better computer and communications systems. For procurements, the Army is targeting Blackhawk and Apache attack helicopters, Chinook helicopters, WIN-T communication systems, and the MQ-1 Gray Eagle, a dual-purpose weaponized/ISR unmanned aircraft.  Areas in RDT&E specifically identified by the Army include basic research, applied research, advanced technology development, demonstration and validation.

 

The Air Force will fund R&D in nuclear operations to reduce risks to ground-based strategic defense such as ICBM guidance and propulsion, provide for B-2 fleet defensive management system upgrades related to attack capability and investments in domestic launch systems. They will invest in future capabilities and technologies to support adaptive engine transition program testing and provide critical command and control with better ISR capabilities and maintain its commitment to recapitalize the Air Force to sustain designs and developments for the KC-46 (an aerial refueling and transport vehicle), the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the LRS-B (a next generation stealth bomber), and a combat rescue helicopter.

 

The Navy in recent years has emphasized its desire for more unmanned systems plus next-generation strike aircraft to be interchangeable between manned and unmanned.  An example is the UCLASS, or unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillance and strike program.  The Marine Corps R&D will focus on amphibious combat vehicles. The Marines have already awarded contracts to two vendors for procurement of additional vehicles.  Also, in the cyber domain, networks such as Naval Enterprise Networks (NGEN) and the Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services (CANES) will see more investment as will combat and controls systems for tactical platforms.

 

All of the branches of the military are also increasing the funding for cyber programs and big data programs. Included is funding for security from cyber attacks from internal and external sources.

 

Overall the 2016 budget is encouraging for technology companies. With more R&D spending there are more opportunities to sell existing products as well as get funding for innovations and product enhancements. The question is will congress fight the budget since it is well over the BCA cap or will congress realize that the investment is needed for the future of technology growth and modernization of both the military and NASA. Hopefully the later, but we will probably have to wait until at least September 30th to get an answer.

 

We at Chassis Plans are already seeing a much-increased level of quote activity and programs which have been on hold being released.  There is a general feeling in Government procurement that the worst is behind us and that much needed money is being made available.  Based on our first quarter performance, we’re expecting a banner year.  Our systems form the foundation for many military programs so an increase in our business is a leading indicator for the health of the sector.

 

The 2016 Federal Budget has Healthy Increases for R&D and Defense

Adds new sales rep group for Southern states

Map of Chassis Plans’ Sales Representatives

Chassis Plans has appointed Rep Tech, Inc. as our sales representative for Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.  Rep Tech brings a strong presence to this area strategic to Chassis Plans’ sales efforts.  Rep Tech serves a variety of markets ranging from aerospace to power plant.  Their territory includes Huntsville, an area central to the aerospace industry.

 

Rep Tech joins Integral Marketing, covering the Eastern Seaboard, and Technical Marketing, covering Colorado, Utah and Wyoming, in representing Chassis Plans to industry.

 

See Chassis Plans Representatives for additional information.

Adds new sales rep group for Southern states

Mike McCormack Joins Chassis Plans as President

Mike McCormack

Chassis Plans is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike McCormack as President. Mike brings a comprehensive understanding of the Defense and Industrial markets through his past experience in senior management positions at IntelliPower,  Johnathan Engineered Solutions and Emerson.  The organizations managed, designed and manufactured a wide range of products including power conversion systems, electronic components, mechanical components and outside plant equipment to the Defense, Aerospace, Communications and Oil and Gas Exploration. Mike also previously served in the USAF as an Airborne Command Post Communications Systems Engineer on board EC-135’s.

 

With Mike on board Chassis Plans will continue with being the leader in the design and development of world class Rugged Custom Military and Industrial grade Computers, Monitors and Keyboards through innovative designs and outstanding customer service and support.

Mike McCormack Joins Chassis Plans as President

Is there an Engineering Graduate Shortage?

At Chassis Plans we have been supporting engineering students for several years via scholarships and hiring students as interns. As we go into the future there is a strong need for technologists to support future development in all fields of science and engineering.

Courtesy of S. Harris – http://www.sciencecartoonsplus.com

 

Is there a real shortage of Engineers and Scientists in the current marketplace? In 2008 the Bureau of Labor estimated there would be a shortage of 160,000 engineers and scientists by 2016. However, some of the more recent studies are showing that there is not a shortage of engineering talent but the issue is whether the math and science education in the United States requires development in both primary and secondary schools. What is being done about it and is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

 

Of all the reports, both pro and con, on the engineer shortage, the one thing that is agreed on is that students today need to develop better skills in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). No matter what career path is taken by today’s students, knowledge of STEM skills will be an aid to better opportunities. In a 2011 article for the Wall Street Journal, Norman Augustine, former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin stated – “In my position as CEO of a firm employing over 80,000 engineers, I can testify that most were excellent engineers. But the factor that most distinguished those who advanced in the organization was the ability to think broadly and read and write clearly.”

 

The good news is that STEM programs are in almost all high schools and more primary schools. STEM programs are multidiscipline based incorporating the integration of disciplinary knowledge into a new whole. Technology helps us communicate; math is the language, science and engineering are the processes for thinking and all this leads to creativity and innovation.

 

Courtest of Ed Stein – http://edsteinink.com

 

In the past, there were huge government programs, such as the space program, that captured the imagination of many students and helped keep enrollment in engineering and science programs high. Today the government is sponsoring STEM programs to excite students. There are engineering-oriented competitions such as robotics competitions hosted by both the government and private companies.

 

There are resources outside of the normal school campus that can also help excite students to take an interest in science. Three of the key outside influences that can have an effect on students are:

 

• The Internet


• Transformation of public libraries


• Open source software and hardware development.

 

The information explosion created by the internet has greatly surpassed what has been available in the past. The challenge is to be able to discern what information is useful and what is not. In the past a student would have to go to the library and look up the topic of interest using the sources available in that library. If a student lived in a small town the resources were limited. The internet provides an almost unlimited number of sources on any topic. So does that make the local library an obsolete facility?

 

Computer Lab in McAllen Texas Library

 

The function of the library is changing. Libraries are moving away from just being a place where books are stored. Today’s libraries are embracing the internet culture and getting involved with STEM programs. More and more local libraries are adding Makers labs, computer labs and adding equipment such as 3D Printers that can be used by the public. One example is the new library in McAllen,Texas, where an old Wal-Mart building was turned into the largest single floor library in the United States. As part of the makeover computer labs were added as well as meeting rooms for STEM and Makers events.

 

Another driver of technology education is the concept of open source development projects which generate free or very low cost software and hardware solutions. Using open source developed products, schools, as well as individuals, can have hands on experience developing robotics, graphics applications and other technology projects.

 

The support of STEM programs by government agencies, schools and companies will go a long way to improving the skills of students in science, math and engineering and help to provide sufficient technology workers for the future.

 

Chassis Plans will continue to help with additional scholarships, equipment donations, and Intern programs.

Is there an Engineering Graduate Shortage?