MONTVILLE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Marotta Controls celebrates 75 years of success in supporting the global aerospace and defense industry with high-performance controls for mission-critical systems. A consistent presence on the most significant milestones in aviation history, Marotta’s advanced technologies and innovative systems have earned the family-owned, small business its reputation as a world-class control solutions provider. As Marotta leadership moves into its third generation, the company continues to leverage its 75-year heritage to develop the most advanced and sophisticated control system technologies of today.
In 1943, Italian immigrant, Pat Marotta, set up the Marotta Controls Engineering Company in the basement of his home in Boonton, New Jersey in efforts to support U.S. troops during World War II. II. After the war, Pat moved operations into an abandoned local schoolhouse and continued to pursue his lifelong passion for aviation and spaceflight. It was at this time, that Pat invented the “balanced poppet”, a revolutionary concept that provided smaller, lighter solenoid valves with higher operating pressures that proved to be ideally suited for the emerging rocket industry. Marotta’s technological advances gained visibility with aerospace pioneers and led to its selection for fuel control valves on board the Bell X-1 Rocket; flying Chuck Yeager into history as he broke the sound barrier in 1947.
The success of the X-1 established Marotta as a key player in fluid controls and represented the first of many significant milestones in Marotta’s proud history including: the first operational rocket, the first intercontinental ballistic missile, the first jetliner, the first nuclear-powered submarine, the deepest diving undersea vehicle, the first Aegis cruiser, and the landing of the Apollo Lunar Module making Neil Armstrong the first man to walk on the moon.
As the company continued to grow in size and technical capability, Marotta expanded its infrastructure to a state-of-the art facility and implemented an integrated approach to design, development and manufacturing. With an established reputation in the aerospace industry, Marotta began to explore additional market segments for opportunities to provide its proven technologies.
In the 1960s, Marotta leveraged its experience and expertise in valve manifolds to propose a unique technical solution to the U.S. Navy in efforts to increase efficiency and drive down costs on their complex shipboard applications. The Marotta manifold solution proved so beneficial it became the standard for the Navy and established Marotta as one of the most widely-recognized valve suppliers in the marine industry. Marotta’s manifolds and flow controls are now found on every U.S. Navy submarine and surface ship at sea.
Pat transitioned leadership to his son Tom in 1978 who remained committed to building upon Marotta’s product portfolio and continually improving processes to facilitate growth in the space sector. Tom’s strategic vision and leadership resulted in Marotta becoming the largest privately held supplier of fluid controls on the International Space Station and the first, and only, small business to achieve the coveted NASA George M. Low Award for Quality and Excellence – twice.
In the 1990s and 2000s Marotta adapted to the evolving technologies of the aerospace and defense industry and made a strategic shift from components supplier to integrated system and sub-systems provider. The company’s new chapter began with two large-scale production programs for high pressure pneumatic systems and put Marotta on the map as a high-volume systems manufacturer.
The tremendous success in both the design and execution of these high-profile programs enabled Marotta to expand and invest in further developing its electronics systems capabilities. Today, these technologies represent Marotta’s core competencies of electronic motor drives and advanced power supply and conversion technologies and are used on the world’s most advanced military aircraft and weapons systems.
In addition to developing new capabilities and product lines, Marotta has also remained true to the company’s heritage and continues to enhance its legacy fluid controls. Today, Marotta is leveraging 75 years of space-flight heritage by evolving its flight-qualified, proven technologies to position itself as an agile, responsive supplier to the fast-paced commercial space industry. Partnering with NewSpace industry leaders, Marotta currently provides hundreds of valves and flow controls for the most sophisticated launcher platforms, all based on the balanced poppet concept of founder and innovator, Pat Marotta.
“This year is a monumental milestone for the Marotta Controls family, and as the third generation leader I am committed to building upon the tremendous successes of my father and grandfather while continuing to drive Marotta Controls as a leading control solutions provider,” stated Patrick Marotta, president & chief executive officer, and grandson of founder Pat Marotta. “To maintain a successful business for 75 years is a feat not often seen in our industry and is a truly remarkable achievement. Our successes, past and present, have only been possible because of the commitment and hard-work of the hundreds of dedicated employees who have passed through these halls for 75 years. The Marotta legacy lives on in our talented team and the revolutionary products we are creating today, and will continue to be seen in the next-generation technologies of our future.”
From an engineering shop in the basement of a Boonton, New Jersey family home to an 155,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility, Marotta Controls has defied the odds of small business manufacturing companies to become a major player on the global aerospace and defense stage.
