With Congressman Norm Dicks (D-Belfair) cutting the ceremonial ribbon, the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) recently opened its west coast office in downtown Bremerton. Located in the city’s former planning department offices, the non-profit manufacturing technology organization, which performs vulnerability assessments for Bangor, Keyport and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS), is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich.

NCMS will use the location to expand its activities in the Puget Sound region, which already include projects with the Navy, the Army at Fort Lewis and the Air Force at McCord, as well as working with manufacturing firms like Boeing.

NCMS received a strong push from Dicks, who helped the firm secure $2.5 million in the 2003 and 2004 defense budgets for research and development, to consider Bremerton for its west coast location.

According to NCMS President Richard Pearson, the organization will initially staff the office with four employees, and plans on doubling that number by the end of this year. The company has reportedly signed a two-year lease with the city that will bring in a little over $11,000 annually.

NCMS joins an emerging high-tech core in downtown Bremerton which includes Dimension4 software and Extrude Hone, as well as other firms there involved in support work for the Navy.