Biddeford, Maine - Flotation Technologies Inc., which produces deepwater buoyancy systems using syntactic foams and polyurethane elastomers, has moved to a new facility. The group said this move, to a 45 000-sq.ft (4180-sq.m) facility, in Biddeford Industrial Park, has "significantly increasing manufacturing capacity and staff."Flotation Technologies said it has installed "state-of-the-art automated production equipment," allowing it to triple capacity. The new space can also accommodate future growth, the company added, in a press statement.The production increase from this expansion will enable Flotation Technologies to increase staff by 50 percent by the end of the year, the company said, adding that it has "recently secured more than $12 million in new contracts with major integrated oil companies, drilling contractors and oil service firms." The company also recently gained a Manufacturing Extension Partnership's (MEP) Manufacturing Excellence Award - which it says "recognises a company for achieving world-class manufacturing status."Tim Cook, president of Flotation Technologies, enlisted MEP's assistance in the developing best business practices and methods, in order to cope with the rapid growth of the company, and to help it prepare to meet increasing demand. As a result, the company adopted lean manufacturing principles including performance-improvement methods meant to enhance throughput and cut waste."We have had a very exciting first half of 2007," said Cook, in the statement. "Flotation Technologies is seeing unprecedented demand in the offshore sector of our business, especially in flowline, umbilical and drilling riser buoyancy. As a result, the company has grown its manufacturing plant and engineering staff, positioning ourselves as the fastest growing, most technically capable firm in our market."Flotation Technologies, makes its deepwater buoyancy systems using high-strength Flotec syntactic foams and polyurethane elastomers. It is focused on the offshore oil, oceanographic, seismic and government markets, providing distributed buoyancy for flexible pipes and umbilicals, drilling riser buoyancy modules, cable and pipeline protection, bend restrictors and more. "
