2023
Press
Releases
10.09.2023 – Faith Elliott Named to Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas
MAGNOLIA, ARK. – The Women’s Foundation of Arkansas named the “Top 100 Women of Impact in Arkansas,” a collective based on nominations from friends, colleagues, and admirers of women across the state who are making a difference in their community, the job sector, and the state. This year, Amfuel Vice President of Operations Faith Elliott made the list.
Since 1999, Elliott has worked at Amfuel in Magnolia and Lockheed Martin in Camden. “I am very passionate about the Magnolia and Camden area defense industry,” she said. Elliott is well known in the area for mentoring engineering students who often work as interns at Amfuel. She said her proudest moment of impact is when her engineering mentees excel in their degree fields.
10.6.2023 – Amfuel Receives Governor’s Export Award for Excellence
MAGNOLIA, ARK. – Amfuel received the 2023 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Global Trade for Innovation and Impact in Manufacturing, presented in Little Rock. “Although we’ve faced some difficult situations in the past—not least of which was the pandemic—we’re roaring back,” Vice President of Operations Faith Elliott said. Purchased out of bankruptcy in 2018, Amfuel has since garnered investments of more than $50 million in new equipment, facility upgrades, and additional personnel to support national and foreign military sales growth. Amfuel’s products can be found in countries such as Italy, Taiwan, Spain, Canada, South Korea and Saudi Arabia. The Arkansas DEC honored Amfuel for unique products and innovative solutions to find and successfully enter international markets with these products.
9.29.2023 – Amfuel Files Provisional Patent Application for a Smart Workstation for Production
MAGNOLIA, ARK. – Amfuel’s ongoing transformation, with emphasis on production innovation including Industry 4.0 technologies, is yielding tangible benefits. The provisional patent submission, “Smart Workstation for Manufacturing or Repairing a Fuel Cell,” reflects Amfuel’s continuous improvement mindset when it comes to production and new product development. “These specialized workstations improve production efficiency while ensuring a high-quality product,” said Michael Accordino, President. “The workforce has responded positively to this innovation, which is always a concern when rolling out a change. The results speak for themselves, and operators appreciate that we continue to invest in tooling to help them be successful day in and day out.”
05.08.2023 – Amfuel Production Outpaces Sikorsky Demand
MAGNOLIA, ARK. – Amfuel is the sole manufacturer of self-sealing fuel bladders for the U.S. Marine Corp’s heavy lift helicopter, the Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion. Self-sealing fuel cells are so called because they repair themselves if punctured by projectiles, and Amfuel is a critical DoD supplier that produces this specialized type of fuel cell.
Since emerging from bankruptcy in 2018, purchased by LB Advisors LLC and Jet Capital, Amfuel has tripled production, which recently outpaced the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation production line, according to Amfuel President Michael Accordino. “In addition, as of today, we have achieved 100% On Time Delivery with Sikorsky, which is a significant milestone,” Accordino said.
April 2023 – Amfuel Vice President Faith Elliott Highlighted in HER Magazine
MAGNOLIA, ARK. – The April 2023 issue of HER Magazine highlighted remarkable women of Magnolia and surrounding areas, including Amfuel Vice President of Operations Faith Elliott. She has worked at Amfuel in Magnolia and Lockheed Martin in Camden since beginning her career in industry in 1999. “Now the community sees what Amfuel already knows,” commented Mike Accordino, President. Elliott said, “I don’t plan on going anywhere, so we’re just going to keep improving. We’ve come a long way since we were bought out of bankruptcy in 2018. We’ve had tremendous gains, but we can always get better. We’re just going to keep pushing.”
2.9.2023 – Amfuel Joins CH-53K Washington Steering Group
MAGNOLIA, ARK. – Col. Kate Fleeger, Program Manager, and Robert Mroz, Deputy Program Manager, H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program Office (PMA-261), invited Amfuel to join the CH-53K Washington Steering Group (WSG). The WSG is comprised of key suppliers to the CH-53K program, meeting in Washington D.C. on a quarterly basis. Amfuel is the sole source provider of crashworthy and self-sealing fuel cells for the CH-53K. “As a small business critical to the program, Amfuel is proud to have a seat at the table along with the likes of Sikorsky and GE Aerospace,” commented Mike Accordino. “We are all working together with the same goal in mind to support the warfighter. This is a great venue to share best practices and learn from each other for the benefit of the program.”
American Fuel Cell and Coated Fabrics Company, LLC (Amfuel) is the premier manufacturer of self‐sealing and crash resistant fuel cells for aviation and defense, support services and liquid logistic solutions. Fuel cells are specialized fuel bladders for fixed wing and vertical lift aircraft, and ground vehicles. Liquid logistic bladder solutions range in size from 5,000 gallon transportable to 1,000,000 gallon embankment tanks.
Phone: +1 (870) 234-3381, +1 (870) 235-7203 (Direct Sales Office)
Email: press@amfuel.com
Location: 601 Firestone Dr. Magnolia, AR 71753