TRC receives $12 million contract to manufacture Air Cargo Bags

Bill Simmons uses a bar tacker to complete one of the steps in the assembly of an air cargo bag at the Jamestown Work Center.

U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer recently announced that the Army has awarded a contract in the amount of $11,969,760 to The Resource Center to produce Air Cargo Bags for the Army.

“This nearly $12 million investment will allow The Resource Center in Jamestown to produce mission-critical cargo bags for our troops in Afghanistan, all while creating as many as 30 job opportunities at this Jamestown agency, some for disabled individuals," Senator Schumer said.  "This contract is another clear demonstration of the high-quality work being done at The Resource Center, and I applaud the Army for selecting this Jamestown center to fulfill this critical need.”

A completed air cargo bag.  The bags to be used in Afghanistan will be a different color.

“In these difficult economic times, it is more gratifying than ever to be in a position of responding to a critical demand for the government and for our special forces, a demand that also will provide sorely needed employment opportunities in Western New York,” said Paul Cesana, TRC's Executive Director. “Our staff works very diligently and intensely to satisfy the requirements of our government so as to meet their specifications in a timely manner, as well as to support the development of new, needed products.”

The Army's contract with TRC will go toward the procurement of 24,000 A-22 cargo bags.  An A-22 cargo bag is used to transport any standard palletized load or loose cargo up to 2,200 pounds.  Senator Schumer noted that the production of air cargo bags is considered “mission critical” to meet specific and time-sensitive support requirements for U.S. special forces in Afghanistan.  The cargo bags will allow supplies to be delivered to combat locations by air, reducing the need for ground convoys, which have been prime targets for insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The first shipments are expected to be delivered in December.  The completion date as specified in the contract is August 15, 2013, but Gregg Bender, TRC's Director of Business Operations, anticipates TRC will finish the contract by November 2012.

Senator Schumer also noted that in conjunction with other similar products contracted to The Resource Center by the Department of Defense, there is the potential for the manufacture of the air cargo bags to result in additional jobs at TRC's in Buffalo at the Seneca Industrial Center, in addition to TRC’s manufacturing facilities in Jamestown and Dunkirk.

TRC first began making air cargo bags for the military in 1991.