Ann Arbor’s Advanced Photonix wins big Navy contract, adding jobs

Advanced Photonix is gearing up for some growth in 2010 after holding its ground last year.The Ann Arbor-based firm and subsidiary Picometrix have been able to keep its employee count at around 160, with the occasional summer intern (the same since we last checked in). But they plan to hire additional people this year. The company has openings (mostly for people with advanced engineering degrees and expertise) right now.”We’ve added quite a few people over the years,” says Rob Risser, CFO of Advanced Photonix.Advanced Photonix specializes in making optimum electronic semiconductor sensors. It recently landed a follow-up order worth $2.4 million from the U.S. Navy. The order includes providing a custom photodiode assembly and optical sensor used for the Navy’s Guided Missile Systems.Advanced Photonix’s sensors are used by a wide variety of fields, ranging from homeland security’s search for WMDs to eye scanners for the healthcare industry. Meanwhile, Picometrix focuses on making sensors for the telecommunications industry, one of the firm’s most promising new sectors.Advanced Photonix went public in the late 1980s when it was a California-based firm. It merged with Picometrix (a University of Michigan spin-off) in 2005 and moved its headquarters and most of its operations to the south side of Ann Arbor.Source: Rob Risser, CFO of Advanced PhotonixWriter: Jon Zemke