Congressman Berg Visits Ideal Aerosmith

Ideal Aerosmith welcomed US Congressman Rick Berg to the Grand Forks facility on January 11, 2012. Following a brief introduction to Ideal’s history and global capabilities, Congressman Berg had an opportunity to meet the employees and tour the facility.


Congressman Rick Berg is introduced to Misty Sistad, an

Ideal Aerosmith assembler, by Assembly Manager Brad Ortzman.

Aerospace & Defense Manufacturers Benefit from Turnkey A.T.E Collaboration

October 5, 2011- Grand Forks, North Dakota - Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. is joining forces with Esterline Control Systems – AVISTA to deliver out-of-the-box, complete automatic test equipment (ATE) for aerospace and defense manufacturers. This collaboration allows manufacturers to speed development and certification for their complex components and focus on the development of the end product.

“As aerospace and defense systems become more complex, software is playing a more critical role in driving product functionality,” notes Tom Bragg, vice president of operations for Esterline Control Systems – AVISTA. “Quality product is always imperative, and test equipment helps ensure safety and reliability. Our combined approach offers the industry world-class software, hardware and process innovation to meet the most complex testing needs with greater ease.”

Ideal offers extensive capabilities in hardware systems, including custom test stand development. The AVISTA services team brings broad experience in software development and process improvement. The combination means manufacturers have the best of both worlds for their next-generation avionics and defense ATE.

“Customers face tight development and certification timelines, and are always looking for ways to improve efficiencies,” adds Darren Stinson, senior vice president of test services for Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. “We’ve always prided ourselves on listening to our customers’ and understanding the complexity of their test needs. By joining forces with AVISTA services, we can help customers deliver on time, as well as with greater quality, precision and completeness.”

About Ideal Aerosmith, Inc.

Ideal Aerosmith engineers world-class motion and electronic test solutions. The company has been providing innovative test solutions since its founding in 1938 by a group of former airline maintenance personnel. In addition to a full line of motion systems, Ideal Aerosmith’s capabilities include full turnkey services in the design, manufacture, and field support of aerospace Automatic Test Equipment (ATE). Ideal Aerosmith is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company. www.ideal-aerosmith.com

About Esterline Control Systems – AVISTA

For almost 25 years, AVISTA services have been trusted by leading companies in aerospace, defense and medical electronics needing safety-critical software and systems engineering support. The organization is rated CMMI Level 5, the industry benchmark for software quality, as well as ISO 9001:2008. AVISTA Incorporated is part of the Esterline Control Systems group and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Esterline Corporation (NYSE:ESL, www.esterline.com), a specialized aerospace and defense company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington.

Senator Franken Tours Ideal Aerosmith

United States Senator Al Franken, D-Minn., visited Ideal Aerosmith’s facility in East Grand Forks, MN, on January 10, 2011. After meeting many of the employees, Senator Franken was interested in discussing with Management the kind of opportunities and challenges high-tech companies face as they compete in a world-wide marketplace.

When asked about Ideal Aerosmith, he stated, “This kind of high-tech manufacturers are really, to me, the future for Minnesota and for North Dakota.” Senator Franken also stated that more jobs, like Ideal Aerosmith provides, are needed in Minnesota and throughout the region and the country.

                           

Senator Conrad Visits Ideal Aerosmith

Ideal Aerosmith welcomed US Senator Kent Conrad to the new Grand Forks facility on June 2, 2010. Following a brief presentation about Ideal's capabilities that contribute to the UAS industry, Senator Conrad had an opportunity to meet the employees and tour the facility.

It’s just the sort of “advanced manufacturing” facility that the state of North Dakota needs more of, Senator Conrad said, and promised more like it as unmanned aircraft becomes more prominent in the area.

Senator Conrad is introduced to Marcy Beaver, an Ideal Aerosmith assembler, by Assembly Manager Brad Ortzman.

Bill Toomey, an Ideal Aerosmith assembler,
 and Senator Conrad discuss an in-process project.

         

Ideal Aerosmith’s Vice President of Business Growth & Technology Jim Richtsmeier describes Ideal’s unmanned aircraft test capabilities to Senator Conrad.

Ideal Aerosmith Patents Aero 4000™ Technology

4000™ Controller

The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted US Patent # 7,702,400 to Jay D. Marchetti and assigned it to Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. This patent covers key technologies that are the fundamental building blocks of the AERO 4000™ motion controller. This patented technology is implemented to provide real-time hardware-in-the-loop profile capability without a real-time operating system. With the real-time operating requirement eliminated, Ideal selected Windows® Embedded as the operating system in the AERO 4000™.

When selecting a motion controller, it is important that the controller is as technologically advanced as possible for more accurate simulations yet simple to operate and maintain. Until now, in order to support real-time motion profiling, manufacturers have implemented a Real-Time Operating System to guarantee that profiles are executed in a deterministic manner. Ideal Aerosmith’s patented process transfers the data directly from the reflective memory card to the motion control card with the digital signal processor over the PCI bus. This PCI data transfer is performed completely independent of the operating system. The result is a simple controller architecture that contains one PC and one general purpose operating system- Windows® Embedded Standard 2009. This simple architecture is what allows the AERO 4000™ to be the industry leader in performance, supportability, and ease of use.

Inventor Jay Marchetti commented on the recent patent, “The granting of this patent is an honor. Moreover, I think it is a tribute to the AERO 4000™ development team's forward thinking that permeates the product, as well as the company's determination to see it through to success.”

2003P System

The AERO 4000™ motion controller is used on both inertial test products and flight motion systems. The AERO 4000™ controller comes as standard equipment on many of Ideal Aerosmith’s products. In addition, it is the controller of choice for upgrading legacy and previous generations of Ideal Aerosmith systems, as well as equipment built by other suppliers.

Ideal Aerosmith engineers world-class motion and electronic test solutions. This patent is another example of Ideal Aerosmith listening to our customers’ needs and finding a solution that is truly innovative. Ideal Aerosmith continues to develop new  eatures and enhancements to ensure that the AERO 4000™ controller will remain the industry standard.

Please visit our AERO 4000™ page for more details about the AERO 4000™ Controller.

North Dakota Governor John Hoeven Speaks at Ideal



North Dakota Governor John Hoeven

Ideal Aerosmith hosted more than 200 guests to celebrate the opening of its newest facility in Grand
Forks, North Dakota, with an open house on April 28, 2010. The open house provided an opportunity for Ideal Aerosmith to thank their supporters and to recognize Ideal employees. Speakers included North Dakota Governor John Hoeven and Grand Forks Mayor Michael Brown. The event was held at the new facility at 3001 South Washington Street in Grand Forks.

Following the event, Governor Hoeven stated, “Ideal Aerosmith is a dynamic company that has partnered
with our state Centers of Excellence program to create innovative technology for unmanned systems, energy development, and national defense applications. We are pleased with the company's innovation and growth and wish management and staff the very best for the future.”

Governor Hoeven was joined by ND Department of Commerce Commissioner Shane Goettle, who said, "Ideal Aerosmith is a great company. Its visionary leadership combined with top-notch technical expertise generates results and outstanding product innovation. That's why this forwarding looking company has been embraced by North Dakota and the Grand Forks region."

The 20,000-square-foot building is the new home of Ideal Aerosmith's corporate offices and includes senior management, human resources, accounting, purchasing, quality, marketing, production, and shipping and receiving departments. The Grand Forks facility provides critical infrastructure to allow Ideal Aerosmith to meet its customers' needs. Ideal Aerosmith also has locations in East Grand Forks, MN; Menlo Park, CA;
Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; and the University of North Dakota Research Foundation (REAC1) research and development facility in Grand Forks, ND.

“The addition of the Grand Forks facility sets the stage for future growth of Ideal,” states John Mohn, Ideal Aerosmith President. “The relocation of a portion of our operations from East Grand Forks provides business units in both locations with capacity which will allow Ideal to take advantage of
current and future business opportunities.”

“In the past ten years, Ideal has experienced growth that is unprecedented in the more than 70 years of company history. In 2001, we had only one facility in East Grand Forks and now we have six locations across the United States,” commented Darren Stinson, Sr. Vice President of Test Services. “And it’s not just geographical growth; our revenues have increased by over 400% in the same time period.”

Ideal Aerosmith, Inc. innovatively engineers, manufactures and sustains world-class motion and electronic test solutions and services. Its cutting-edge products and services include precision inertial guidance test systems, rotational tables, centrifuges, high dynamic Hardwarein-the-Loop (HWIL) flight motion simulators, test engineering services, Automated Test Equipment (ATE) system engineering, and quality contract
manufacturing services.

John Mohn Named President of Ideal Aerosmith



John Mohn



Ideal Aerosmith is pleased to announce the promotion of John Mohn to President of Ideal Aerosmith effective January 1, 2010. He replaces Lonnie C. Rogers, who has served as President since 1994. Mr. Rogers will join Greg D. Owens as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors, providing strategic guidance and oversight to Ideal.

"Ideal is well positioned to make a major move in the test industry. We've built a strong employee base of industry veterans who have a reputation for providing top quality products and services to our domestic and international customers. This team is positioned to deliver integrated solutions to numerous industry partners as never before. Our team is strong in all areas and has the ability to integrate all aspects of our business into one focused solution," said Mohn.

Mr. Mohn joined the company in 2005 as Chief Financial Officer, and most recently served as Executive Vice President. He has a diverse background in finance, consulting and general management of companies across the US. Prior to joining Ideal, he spent 16 years with the Coors Distributing Company, as well as 6 years operating an independent business consulting firm.

Mr. Mohn, a North Dakota native, graduated from the University of North Dakota College of Business and earned his Masters of Science in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and serves on the Altru Health Systems Investment and Audit committees.

Ideal Aerosmith provides cutting-edge testing solutions to many major aerospace, defense, automotive, and oil & gas entities around the world. Ideal is a leading supplier of aerospace test equipment along with precision inertial guidance test systems, rotational rate tables and centrifuges, and high-dynamic flight test tables. It also provides aerospace test engineering services, Automated Test Equipment system engineering, and quality contract manufacturing services.

The company is headquartered in East Grand Forks, MN and maintains offices in Grand Forks, ND; Menlo Park, CA; Phoenix, AZ; and Pittsburgh, PA.