OREANDA-NEWS. As part of the celebration of National Manufacturing Day, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) cut the ribbon on a newly renovated Electronics Manufacturing Facility (EMF) at its Space Systems Company campus in Littleton, Colorado. The Oct. 2 opening marks the completion of the facility’s significant two-year revamp.

The 28,000-sq.-ft. Electronics Manufacturing Facility provides development, fabrication and environmental test of spacecraft electronics and is a sign of Lockheed Martin’s momentum in the manufacturing technology space.

“It’s really fitting that we’re hosting this event on Manufacturing Day,” said Brian O’Connor, vice president of Production Operations for Lockheed Martin Space Systems. “Today’s manufacturing is a lot different than it was in the past – especially here at Lockheed Martin. We mostly work in clean room environments with the latest technology,” he offered, referring to the added clean room capacity in the new facility.

The Electronics Manufacturing Facility is home to eight state-of-the-art vertical lift machines, several enhanced assembly and test areas and even a new automated section on its circuit board assembly line. These improvements enable more efficient production, assembly and testing of electronics products, reducing both cycle time and cost.

Advanced electronics manufactured in the expanded facility play a role in both power supply and command and data handling for spacecraft. Certain electronics function as the heart of the spacecraft, directing solar power to different parts. Others help execute incoming data commands from ground control—serving as the spacecraft’s neurological epicenter.

As one of the nation’s leading manufacturers, Lockheed Martin continues to move forward by inserting advanced manufacturing techniques into the production process. Recent examples include the launch of its new Radio Frequency Payload and Optical Payload Centers of Excellence to streamline technology development in those areas.