Now it’s no secret that I really like cool devices, so when Kevin got here throughout our Must Have RV Upgrades Article and invited us to return out to the MicroAir headquarters and get a behind the scenes take a look at how they function we had been there the following day. Not many issues are made right here anymore, however pulling up out entrance you possibly can see that they’re pleased with the truth that all of their merchandise are.
Not simply assembled right here from elements manufactured someplace else, Made right here, Assembled by hand, and each single product high quality examined at a number of factors all through their manufacturing course of.
The very first thing I discover once we stroll within the door is chatter, like the sort that stops when the boss walks within the room most locations. I didn’t understand this was the very first thing I observed till a lot later in our go to. Kevin met us within the foyer and confirmed us to the convention desk so we may sit and chat for a bit earlier than taking a stroll via the manufacturing line.
As we chat with Kevin about Micro-Airs product line and historical past individuals stroll by, all with a pleasant wave and a hey, on their method to the place ever it was they had been going. We continued speaking with Kevin in regards to the increasing line of merchandise they make, and the way they’re designed and constructed proper right here.
The first cease on our tour was the design room. The very first thing that got here to thoughts was The Matrix. There had been work stations with a number of displays with designs of circuit boards to return subsequent to prototypes subsequent to items that had handed and failed high quality management checks in order that they could possibly be dissected and retooled to make enhancements for future generations of merchandise.
Further down the hallway is the door to the manufacturing facility flooring. On the opposite facet of that door is an meeting line so environment friendly that it could make Henry Ford take discover. Micro-Air has been getting an increasing number of orders, and has been beginning to outgrow the quantity of house they’ve, so in flip has arrange their manufacturing facility flooring to make use of each inch of accessible house to extend manufacturing with out sacrificing high quality.
The very first station we see is the retooling station. The retooling station is mainly the “oops pile”. Kevin made it a degree to deliver out consideration to it, which at first I assumed was odd, as a result of we may have simply walked proper previous it to the very subsequent station the place meeting was being achieved.
I assumed to myself ‘why would you point out your oops pile when you should be showing us how awesome your factory is?’
Well, it seems Kevin is smarter than I’m, and by exhibiting us the oops pile he was exhibiting us how superior they’re. At the conclusion of each station alongside the meeting line is a high quality management verify. Now after I say each station, I imply each station. QC is completed after every set of elements goes into every product, not simply on the finish of the road.
If at any level throughout the complete course of a bit fails its high quality verify, it’s labeled with the place it was within the course of and introduced right here. If its a bit that wants a transforming on the schematic it may possibly go proper via the door to the left and into the design room for its replace. If its a bit that simply wants an additional little bit of solder, it may possibly get that and be returned again into the work movement on the acceptable station.
After the retooling station is an extended part of house with 4 rows of labor stations. One towards every wall and two nose to nose down the middle of the room, in order that items on line will be accomplished, then handed to the following station on their method right down to packaging.
When we had been chatting with Kevin within the convention room about their merchandise being constructed by hand, I had assumed he meant “built by hand”. You know, the identical method every thing is “built by hand”, a connection right here or there was achieved by a human, however the many of the components had been put collectively by some tremendous environment friendly robotic.
Nope. Kevin meant Built By Hand. With Pride and a focus to element just like the phrase American Made was meant to embody.
It was critically spectacular to see all of the issues that “used to” be made by American Craftsmanship really being achieved by actual people who take pleasure in what they’re doing. Hand crimped wire ends, Hand soldered wires, Hand examined controls, Hand achieved weatherproofing, Hand assembled circuit boards.
One factor you’ll discover within the photos of the tour, is People. People doing every thing. In reality, there is just one machine doing something in the complete place. Its a comparatively current addition to the road too. Right subsequent to it’s its “hand made” predecessor that was solely changed due to the necessity to make extra complicated circuit boards with a number of layers of pathways.
Now I do know it’s possible you’ll be pondering, “so much for hand made, this thing is doing most of the work”. Nope, under no circumstances. Think of it like making dinner. You do all of the prep, all of the cooking, put all of it collectively on the plate and serve it. This machine simply makes the plate,
These two pretty ladies are those who put the small elements on the circuit boards by hand in order that they are often handed on to the right meeting traces whether or not or not it’s for RV or Marine use, Air conditioners or Thermostats, or any one of many varied different merchandise that Micro-Air makes.
If you recall the very first thing I observed once we walked within the constructing was chatting. That was a standard prevalence all through our tour. Now, on no account am I suggesting that everybody right here must be diligently ignoring their coworkers and simply mindlessly cranking out merchandise for his or her shoppers.
While taking this image I had really talked about to Kevin that everybody right here appears to be in an incredible temper and that this have to be an incredible place to work or everybody right here is actually good actors. We all spent a while chatting and joking round about who was going to win the Academy Award for Happiest Employee, and in doing so got here to study that smiles like that may’t be faked.
Many of the individuals right here have been right here for his or her whole profession. This is a kind of locations the place you get employed as your first job and find yourself retiring from. The environment all through the manufacturing facility is fairly laid again. Everyone enjoys what they’re doing and really likes coming to work and it reveals within the merchandise they put out.
I personally have Micro-Air products on my RV, and that was from earlier than the manufacturing facility tour, which made number one on my will need to have RV Upgrades record.