Stanley Black & Decker to open Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Connecticut

Stanley Black & Decker has announced plans to open an Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Hartford, Conn., to accelerate its global Industry 4.0 "smart factory" initiative. Called Manufactory 4.0, the 23,000-sq.-ft. center will employ about 50 people.

Stanley Black & Decker currently operates about 30 manufacturing facilities in the U.S., with more than 100 manufacturing facilities globally. The company has three locations designated as "lighthouse factories" that have partially implemented Industry 4.0 across their facilities, from manufacturing execution systems to 3-D printing, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.

In addition, the company has made a three-year commitment to partnering with Techstars on the STANLEY+Techstars Additive Manufacturing Accelerator. The mentorship-driven, entrepreneurial accelerator program will identify 10 startups in the additive manufacturing space to participate in the program in its first year. Companies will co-locate with Manufactory 4.0 and have access to mentoring and resources to grow their ideas into viable businesses and bring new technologies to market. The application process will begin in January 2018. Similar programs will be run in 2019 and 2020, with 30 potential startups completing the process.