$50 Million in Military Contracts for SUMMA Technology

“2005 has been a year of transition”, says Tom Hoffman, General Manager for the SUMMA Technology, Inc., Kentucky Operations. The company has gone through a reorganization and repositioning at the Lebanon facility. The major focus is for all divisions to operate as one unit. Now that we have accomplished it, the role of each division has been complemented.

Hoffman joined SUMMA in June as General Manager of the company’s Kentucky Division. Tom has over 30 years of domestic and international experience in machining and fabrication manufacturing, operations, technical, and general management.

Hoffman has announced that SUMMA’ s operations in Huntsville and Cullman, Alabama have been award several major contracts, including two military contracts worth almost $50 million that officials say will bring dramatic growth to the company. The impact will directly effect the operations at the Lebanon facility, one of its sister operations.

In addition to the military contracts, Hoffman indicates 2006 will be a year of improvements and growth with Summa, while it recently captured several contracts worth over one million dollars with new customers.

Obtaining the ISO9001 certification opened many doors for the Lebanon’s Summa facility. “We are very excited about the prospects of bringing more work into this operation, says Hoffman. Hoffman said, “We know there will be more doors that will open for the Lebanon facility and we know that it is not going to happen over night. We are willing to invest the time and people toward these important efforts”.

These contracts bring good news to those Summa employees who experienced layoffs in 2005. Hoffman hopes to bring back all those who were on layoff status.

“Here in Lebanon, our employees remain our biggest asset, says Hoffman. Their hard work and commitment to supplying our customers with a quality product never changes. In fact, our employees, working as a team, were instrumental in the achievement of our recent ISO9001 certification.”

Hoffman expects that sales in the Lebanon facility will be in the $10 - $12 million range for 2006 and work from the recently awarded contracts. This will bring additional growth to the plant.

Summa’s Kentucky Division will continue to be the main supplier of front axle components for John Deere’s lawn and garden tractors, and a major supplier of transportation racks to the automotive industry.

Summa has also recently completed a long term machining services agreement with another Lebanon manufacturer.

2005 was a year of transition for Summa, but 2006 brings new contracts strong growth and a reason for celebration at Summa, says Hoffman. Hoffman explains, “We will be holding an open house in early 2006 to allow everyone in the community to learn more about the company’s operations. Hoffman continues to add, that before that happens, we are hoping to have those back on board who were lay-off earlier in 2005.” In addition to those returning, they will also be adding new positions in the area of experienced machinists to join the team at Summa to meet their expanding needs.