That’s how Andy Weinberg from the UCSB School of Engineering described his visit to HaasTec, which took place last week at the company’s Oxnard, California headquarters and manufacturing facility. “We were blown away by the factory,” Andy told the Haas people. “It was like going to Disneyland, but better.” HaasTec was my first visit to the Oxnard campus as well, and after seeing the place I certainly agree with Andy’s assessment.
The three-day event attracted more than 2,100 visitors and included machine demos, extensive tours of the 1,000,000-square-foot facility, and 25 vendor booths representing a “who’s who” of tooling, software, workholding and measurement equipment suppliers. An added bonus included participation from Stewart-Haas Racing, which displayed two of its race cars outside the company entrance.
In the company showroom, 20 machines were under power and cutting parts. Four of these machines were brand new for 2011, and two were large-capacity turning centers that made their public debut during the event. There was also a selection of the company’s rotary products on display.
The 2011 edition of HaasTec was the first time in nearly a decade that that the company has hosted such an expansive event. From the remarks I heard from visitors and vendors, it was a smashing success. Seeing an operation as expansive and efficient as this facility makes Andy’s Disneyland analogy spot-on.
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