Orizon’s Unique Partnership with Northrop Grumman Sees Them Through the COVID-19 Crisis

Orizon’s commercial work comprises a significant portion of their business. When the commercial demand dropped due to the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, Orizon saw their largest defense customer step up to help them weather the storm.

“With Northrop Grumman’s help, we’ve been able to keep our supply chain in place, keep a much larger percentage of our employees in place, and have been able to continue to deliver a quality product on time,” said Charlie Newell, Orizon’s chief executive officer. “Keeping those people in place was really important to us.”

Based in Kansas City, Missouri, Orizon operates six plants across Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, and employs over 600 associates. The company manufactures, processes and assembles large, complex aircraft components for Northrop Grumman. When Orizon’s commercial business stalled, Northrop Grumman frequently and from several levels of the company, reached out offering accelerated payments, allowing early shipments and providing introductions to other financial assistance programs. These benefits from Northrop Grumman have in turn been flowed down, helping Orizon’s supply chain.

“Northrop Grumman had concern for our company and wanted to know how they could assist us in bridging our financial gap,” said Newell. “They constantly reminded us that we are partners and wanted to ensure we were fit. We’re really grateful.”

Orizon’s president Henry Newell agrees. “We have confidence we can make it through this with the assistance received from this trusted partner.”

The Newell brothers have worked with Northrop Grumman in some capacity for many years, charging toward their vision to ‘build something unique.’ They’ve worked closely with Northrop Grumman to achieve mutual goals, resolve challenges and build ‘factories of the future.’

“Many people will talk about what it means to have a great partnership, but those that deliver in good and bad times, who motivate our associates by visiting our plants and who inspire the team with a future state vision for our company, is rare. Northrop Grumman has done all of this and more.” said Charlie Newell.   “We are proud to be a Northrop Grumman supplier and partner.”