LEE, Mass. — Patriot Armor Systems has been granted $200,000 from a state program for manufacturers.

 

The Healey-Driscoll administration announced on Monday the 17 grantees of the Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program, which dispersed a total of $3,144,982 to manufacturers for the purchase of new capital equipment to support production, customer demand, and the workforce.

 

"Patriot Armor is a manufacturer of bullet resistant, blast resistant, and forced entry security glass. Our products are used in a number of applications but most importantly in military vehicles, law enforcement vehicles, and U.S. embassy buildings. We pride ourselves on the quality of our product and will be using the grant money to enhance our ability to deliver quality product to all customers we serve," President Stephen Donnelly said.

 

"The new equipment will consist of upgrades to our existing autoclaves to increase functionality and quality. We also plan on purchasing glass seaming equipment to increase the quality of our edgework which is very important for ballistics. Our equipment additions will allow us to better serve Department of Defense and Department of State projects around the world."

 

This grant is expected to "upskill" about a dozen employees.

 

The funds will allow the company to purchase seaming equipment including a Schiavo Star wet seamer and a Sulak BBT semi-automatic wet seamer — devices that are expected to improve production capacity and product quality.

 

Patriot Armor produces customized solutions for use in government buildings, law enforcement, schools, office buildings, storefronts, and high-threat U.S. government assets.

 

Participants in the MMAP program partner with non-profits who support their growth through workforce development programs, technology landscape assistance, connections, and more. Berkshire Innovation Center in Pittsfield is Patriot Armored System's partner in the program, founded as a catalyst for innovation and sustainable growth of technology-focused companies.

 

The BIC made Patriot aware of the grant last year, as Executive Director Ben Sosne believed the company was a good fit because of its extensive work with Departments of Defense and of State projects. It will be working closely with the BIC to administer the monies.

 

Sosne explained that the innovation center will help identify equipment that might be right and connect with partners who can advise them from a neutral standpoint, how the facility can absorb the new equipment, and work with employees who may need training.

 

"It's interesting when you visit their facility they have incorporated some of the stuff over the years and found some success so now they have more of a curiosity and more of an emphasis to integrate more and more," he said.

 

The partnership with the BIC also opens up networking opportunities, he added, and the company could be connected with other manufacturers with similar experiences or education partners.

 

The Lee-based company was the only Berkshire County awardee, joining several others that were given the highest award of $200,000. These include Antenna Research Associates in Pembroke, Busek Co. Inc. in Natick, CPS Technologies in Norton, Guardian Agriculture in Woburn, Harmonic Drive LLC in Beverly, Kinefac Corp. in Worcester, Precision Fabricators LLC in Worcester, QCI Inc. in Seekonk, Richards Design Inc. in Falmouth, Titcomb Bros. Mfg. in Westport, and United Stretch Design Corp. in Hudson.

 

The more than $3 million funding cycle is expected to create between 78 to 115 jobs and upskill 63 to 98 employees across the 17 companies.

 

MMAP was launched by the Center for Advanced Manufacturing at MassTech Collaborative in 2021 and has invested nearly $11 million total in projects for 56 small to medium-sized manufacturers in the state. The program aims to help meet the demands of "Industry 4.0," which are innovation-driven production methods that leverage smart technologies, including data analytics, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and connected technologies to maintain competitiveness.

 

Sosne explained that state manufacturers win when they are leveraging technology to do things better and more efficiently. This also results in a workforce having a higher skillset and productivity. The BIC has worked with a couple of companies on this program over the last few years.

 

"The hope is that these drive growth in businesses and therefore jobs and new opportunities for students and it sort of starts a flywheel," he said.

 

"So that is what this program does and we've seen tremendous success for some companies who started to do it."