Kacer added , “ Our mission is to take care of employees first and foremost . Our owners are very employee oriented and care about the employees ; they care for customers and each of us .”
Rienzo stated , “ The management team is unified ; owners have much experience to help train the team on the floor and the management team . It is a good company to build a foundation and have an opportunity for growth .”
Kacer has been with the company for 18 years . He feels that they excel with on-time delivery . He also said they have machines that competitors traditionally haven ’ t had , although that is changing . They initially had much larger machines , “ but it is now more competitive .” So , they strive for high-quality and on-time delivery , “ which separates us from others .”
Kacer also noted , “ The factory is very safety oriented , well organized , very clean , and top-notch . Departments are labeled with overhead signs ,” which is helpful for new employees . He likes how the owners and management help employees , new or long term . “ We have two owners ; they ’ ve been in business 40 years and have built the company from the ground up . They have done a great job of reinvesting in the company and ( being ) ready to do business . With that comes being family-oriented ; both owners are very involved .”
Rienzo shared that their shop is primarily comprised of 5-axis machines . They have large gantry-style machines and worktables as large as 322 inches long by 143 inches wide . “ To put that in perspective , our largest machine is the size of a drive-through car wash .” He explained that their high-speed aluminum machines ( MAG 3 ’ s ) and Jobs gantry machines mean decreased spindle time and increased throughput .
“ This is an advantage to both our customers and us . We manufacture very large and complex pieces , and the decreased manufacturing time , coupled with our location , means that customers can rely on quality parts to be delivered faster than our competition .”
Their quality assurance department also offers large-scale inspection , “ We have very large CMM inspection equipment ; all of them from standard gantry style to Leica laser trackers . The Leica measures the parts via a laser eye corresponding to a handheld device and can be manipulated around the laser head for minute measurements down to 1 / 1000th of an inch .” Rienzo said they have eight employees in that department . A & G currently does not plan to implement AI or robotics in the factory , “ due to the size of our machines and material ,” he added .
The employees interviewed felt location is also a key to their success . Rienzo observed that they are central to all aerospace activity in the Northwest and within driving distance of customer sub-assembly plants .
26 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS