[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 2]
[House]
[Pages 2721-2722]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                 RECOGNIZING SMC MANUFACTURING SERVICES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kentucky (Mr. Barr) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a cutting-edge 
aerospace and defense company located in the Sixth Congressional 
District of Kentucky, SMC Manufacturing Services.
  For more than 30 years, the Coats family has been the epitome of 
Kentucky ingenuity and progress. In 1978, they began Southland 
Manufacturing Company, which has evolved into SMC Manufacturing 
Services, and now employ more than 140 people at its Nicholasville, 
Kentucky, headquarters.
  Recently, I had the chance to visit SMC and tour their 45,000-square-
foot facility, which helps to build components for the Common Remotely 
Operated Weapon Station, or CROWS. This product is a stabilized mount 
that contains a sensor suite and fire control software, allowing on-
the-move target

[[Page 2722]]

acquisition and first-burst target engagement.
  This facility has increased by 20,000 square feet in 2016 and has the 
ability to house more than 300 employees, drawing its employees from 
counties in the Sixth District and surrounding counties.
  However, SMC not only supplies companies in Kentucky, but across the 
United States and abroad. One example of where SMC supports the defense 
of this Nation is their partnership with Kongsberg Protech Systems, 
KPS, of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which is located in the district of my 
friend and colleague Congressman Keith Rothfus.
  Today, with more than 15,000 CROWS in service, this weapon system can 
be found on more than 25 different platforms in the United States 
arsenal, including the Stryker, MRAP, Abrams, and Amphibious Combat 
Vehicle. It is a tested, proven system that is relied on by the Army, 
the Navy, and the Marines.
  I applaud SMC for being a veteran-friendly workplace and a 
manufacturing company that is proud to employ about an equal number of 
men and women. I am pleased to support job-creating manufacturing 
companies like SMC and KPS which positively impact States like Kentucky 
and help to strengthen our national security capabilities while 
supporting our veterans.

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