Person to Watch: JOEL MOSKOWITZ
MANUFACTURING
Joel Moskowitz, chief executive of Costa Mesa industrial ceramics maker Ceradyne Inc., has had a frenetic year and 2002 promises more of the same.
Earlier this month, the company leased an Irvine plant to expand production capacity by 40%. The move is designed to house projected growth in demand for Ceradyne’s ceramic diesel engine components, orthodontic brackets and armor.
Production of diesel engine parts and orthodontic brackets are set to move to Irvine, leaving Ceradyne’s 86,000-square-foot Costa Mesa site to produce lightweight ceramic armor and other products for military uses. The 40,000-square-foot Irvine facility is set to be running by March.
“Armor will be a major source of revenue growth in 2002, but diesel and orthodontic applications are also expected to contribute to revenue growth,” Moskowitz said. “All those products have been the engines of growth for the past 36 months and will continue to be engines of growth certainly in 2002 and beyond.”
Moskowitz saw his company’s share price skyrocket 70% in value since Sept.11, going from 6.50 to about 11 in anticipation of military orders. In October, the company won a $12.5 million order to make armor plates for army infantry units to wear inside their flak jackets.
“The big increases in U.S. defense spending (in that market) started in 1999 when certain elite ground troops determined they needed lightweight ceramic armor vests,” Moskowitz said. “And there will be a very significant growth spurt for us from this year to next year following Sept. 11.”
,Chris Cziborr
Company to Watch: C & D; AEROSPACE
MANUFACTURING
Huntington Beach-based C & D; Aero-9space makes a product that stands to be in demand in 2002: fortified anti-terrorist cockpit doors.
C & D; earlier in the month won a contract from Boeing Co. to retrofit about 5,500 of the company’s commercial jets. C & D; officials said they plan to hire up to 200 people in Huntington Beach. Earlier in 2001, C & D; opened a second 150,000-square-foot facility in Huntington Beach
The company now has 2,000 Orange County employees and 3,000 companywide following 800 September layoffs.
C & D; also is looking at completely redesigning cockpits to make the bulkhead intrusion-proof and to offer enough cockpit amenities so that pilots don’t have to enter the cabin during flight.
C & D;’s global operations include locations throughout the Southland, two plants near Seattle and one plant each in Tijuana, France and Brazil. Including Huntington Beach, the company has over a million square feet of space worldwide.
,Chris Cziborr
