The Honeycutt ’ s wanted to keep valuable employees , so they negotiated shift changes and gave everyone a 10 percent raise . They also were privy to an SBA loan to help them automate the plant . They decided to begin by automating their new 5-axis mill , which they had purchased in 2018 for $ 900,000 . At the time , they needed more space , so they opened the facility next door for expansion .
Now , they have automated other machines . It allows them to run the machines for 50 to 60 hours unattended on the weekends . Also , during the period after the pandemic , when commercial aerospace work fell off , they could pick up work with Blue Origin . Nick noted about the automation , “ That ’ s how we were able to weather the storm .” He said that investing in automation shows the “ fruits of labor ” almost immediately .
38 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS