A Year Later, an Impeccable Safety Record and Marked Employment Growth at Aerojet Rocketdyne’s AMF

August 2020: Huntsville, Ala. – In the year since Aerojet Rocketdyne officially opened its state-of-the-art Advanced Manufacturing Facility (AMF) near its Defense Headquarters here, the facility has increased its staffing three-fold and maintained an impeccable safety record.

“Our nation depends on innovative, reliable propulsion to defend our country and explore space, and the Advanced Manufacturing Facility has already begun to deliver on its goals,” said Tyler Evans, senior vice president for the Defense Business Unit.

Since the 136,000-square-foot facility opened in the summer of 2019, its workforce has grown 300 percent, to 120 personnel. The AMF is expected to employ 150 people by the year’s end.  AMF employees manufacture solid rocket motor cases and specialize in advanced rocket propulsion research and development.

Manufacturing advanced propulsion for vital defense products brings its own set of hazards and AMF leaders are proud to have maintained a 100 percent safety record since the AMF opened.

“I’m very proud of the team we’ve assembled and what we have accomplished while maintaining a flawless safety record this past year,” said Jim Ramseier, director of Manufacturing at Huntsville.

Last fall, the AMF achieved its AS9100 certification, a standardized qualification for the aerospace industry to ensure internal, governmental, and regulatory requirements are met.

In addition to producing advanced propulsion products such as solid rocket motor cases and other hardware for the Standard Missile-3, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, and other U.S. defense and space programs, the AMF was designed to support new opportunities including hypersonics.

“The Advanced Manufacturing Facility is enabling Aerojet Rocketdyne to meet today’s defense needs and to further next generation technologies for tomorrow’s challenges,” said Evans. “Aerojet Rocketdyne looks forward to continuing to grow in the Rocket City.”

The company partners with more than 70 Alabama businesses, and since 2015, it has sourced more than $81 million dollars to Alabama suppliers.

The Huntsville Headquarters expansion and construction of the AMF were part of Aerojet Rocketdyne’s highly successful Competitive Improvement Program, aimed at reducing costs and increasing operational efficiency. Aerojet Rocketdyne officially established its Defense Headquarters in Huntsville in 2016.