Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 5 | Page 57

PACIFIC NORTHWEST AEROSPACE ALLIANCE SPOTLIGHT What’s next? In the last two decades the business has grown significantly – since Lathrop purchased the company in 1994 the company has quadrupled in size. Annually they now address thousands of parts in commercial and defense aerospace and are also venturing into new areas, including commercial space. They have also invested in new capabilities, in- cluding plasma arc welding, seam welding and tube bending. Invest- ment is made based on customer requests and is often developed first for other markets before tran- sitioning across to aerospace. Pre- dictably, the growth strategy for the company is ultimately tied to qual- ity, with the customer needs placed above all else. “We don’t want to grow at the detriment to our own reputation,” says Lathrop, “So any decisions designed to grow the business are based within the context of meeting customer needs first and foremost. Ultimately this is based on our ability to hire solid employees that enable us to uphold our high quality standards.” Exotic Tool Welding, Inc. 2909 Seaway Blvd. Everett, WA 98203 Office - 425-353-3040 www.exotictoolwelding.com [email protected] A final word While the company may be small in size, Exotic Tool Welding em- braces a big reputation when it comes to quality. By recogniz- ing the importance of people and communication, complementing their exacting tools and processes, they are able to meet quality, cost and delivery expectations to which some suppliers can only aspire. There’s certainly a lot all compa- nies can learn from smaller enter- prises. LAUNCH YOUR APPRENTICESHIP CAREER: WWW.NAW18.EVENTBRITE.COM OCTOBER | NOVEMBER 2018 ISSUE NO. 5 57