production facility celebrates delivery of 600th data concentrator unit (DCU)

Sanmina-SCI Corporation recently delivered the 600th Data Concentrator Unit (DCU) to the United States Army. The Defense and Aerospace Systems Division based in Huntsville, AL, held a ceremony at their production facility to commemorate the significant milestone. Executives from Sanmina-SCI, U.S. Congressmen Bud Cramer and Robert Aderholt, and Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spenser attended and spoke.

"We are extremely proud to play a part in our nation's defense through our association with the U.S. Army and our DCU program," says Jim Cocke, senior vice president of Sanmina-SCI's Defense and Aerospace Systems Division. "Delivering the 600th DCU marks another key milestone for Sanmina-SCI's Defense and Aerospace Systems team, and exemplifies our commitment to delivering technical excellence and quality services to our customers."

The DCU was developed under contract for the United States Army Technology Applications Program Office (TAPO) as a component of the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) now being integrated in the CH-47F Chinook and UH-60M Blackhawk.

The CAAS DCU is a flexible, powerful, and robust device designed to interface and format discrete, analog and avionics bus data from various aircraft equipment and sensors, transmitting the data over MIL-TD-1553, RS-422 and ARINC-429 digital data busses.

U.S. Army officials as well as federal, state, and local government dignitaries joined Sanmina-SCI executives and employees in Huntsville to celebrate. Boeing, ITT, Rockwell Collins, and Sikorsky officials were also in attendance.

Sanmina-SCI's Defense and Aerospace Division has designed, manufactured, and tested high-reliability products and systems in support of commercial and military aviation, defense operations, and space-flight programs for more than 40 years. Their one clear mission is to deliver program support globally with value-added design and engineering, innovative product solutions, and high-quality manufacturing services.

They have dedicated facilities and expertise in engineering, program management, contracts administration, materials management, and manufacturing. They are AS9100B certified for design and development, and are committed to continuous improvement through Six Sigma and Lean initiatives.