Sonics & Materials, Inc. celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala luncheon on April 5 at their headquarters in Newtown, CT.
Sonics & Materials, Inc. was started in 1969 in Danbury by Robert S. Soloff, founder and ongoing CEO, and has been located in Newtown for the last 21 years.
At the luncheon, Robert Soloff announced that his daughter, Lauren Soloff, who joined the company in 1995–and is currently Executive Vice President—will be assuming the office of president, while he will be continuing in his role as CEO.
Over the past 50 years, Sonics acquired a total of 30 patents—plus 3 pending—for technological innovations, including one this past year for break-through hermetic cross seals on gusset bags and stand-up pouch side seals.
These innovations continue the work started by Robert Soloff, who was awarded the original patent for the ultrasonic method of welding rigid thermoplastic parts. This groundbreaking assembly technique is now used universally across many manufacturing sectors, especially the automotive, aviation, medical device, electronics, appliance and battery industries.
In his remarks, Robert Soloff noted the myriad ways in which the simple sound waves at the heart of ultrasonic technology are used today.
“I like to think of our company as a symphony orchestra where everyone has their part, and together we make beautiful music and produce world class ultrasonic products,” Soloff says. “Our music, however, is mostly in the 15 to 40 kHz range.”
The company was joined in its celebration, which also coincided with Bob Soloff’s 80th birthday, by several local, state and federal officials, and included remarks by Attorney General William Tong and Newtown First Selectman Dan Rosenthal, as well as the presentation of proclamations and certificates of recognition.
Last week, Sonics was featured as Senator Murphy’s “Monday Manufacturer,” where the senator was quoted as saying: “I’m happy to highlight Sonics & Materials’ 50 years of service to the manufacturing sector in Connecticut and their commitment to training the next generation of students in the ultrasonics field. Their hard work goes a long way in ensuring Connecticut manufacturing remains competitive.”
A popular topic in the remarks was the importance of manufacturing companies and their contributions to Connecticut’s economic growth. In addition to providing jobs and educating its skilled work force in the specialized field of ultrasonic technology, Sonics offers tuition reimbursement and work study programs to students in local and state technical schools and university programs.
“I look forward to continuing our history of innovation … to developing more high-performance ultrasonic solutions for our customers’ varied applications, while continuing to provide them with the kind of service and sup-port that can transform their business,” says Lauren Soloff. “I appreciate the trust my father has shown me, as well as the hard work and support of all the Sonics’ employees who have brought us to 50 years of success.”
