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Phil: Sure, Let me talk about a portable solar charger we worked on. This company came to us with the challenge of being able to produce their product at a greater volume to keep up with the growing demand. They were just a start-up, operating out of a garage, of course.
Dan: A garage, what else? It is Silicon Valley after all.
Phil: That’s right. They brought me the product and told me that they had tried two other contract manufacturers without success and now were in dire straits to get their product out to market. We reviewed their product and felt that this was a challenge we would like to undertake. Within a week we produced 10 working units and by the following week we were up to 50 units per week. We were so successful that the customer asked us to slow production until sales caught up. We continue to have a very successful relationship with this customer and have assisted them in many method improvements and cost savings.
Dan: That is a great story. Where would you like to be next year at this time, and in five years?
Phil: Fastrak is continuing to head in the direction of achieving growth and improving performance by adding state-of-the-art assembly and testing equipment.
Dan: What new technologies are you focusing your efforts on?
Phil: We’re contemplating adding 3D printing capabilities to our list of services and investigating on increasing the service of rework, modification and recertification of customers’ requirements. I also want to mention that I brought on Michael Corriveau to help out. He came on about five years ago and has been a great help to me when it comes to everything from sales to project management. He handles the day-to-day operations from purchasing to project management. Of late, Michael has been reaching out to customers—former, current and new—to work with them on some of their needs going forward.
Dan: Where do you see your industry going?
Phil: I see the industry will continue to grow and with it the competition. Fastrak must continue improving process and procedures that will improve output and quality. This will be accomplished by continuing to add equipment and knowledge of new products to reach this goal.
Dan: What do you think is the biggest issue/challenge that we face in your industry today?
Phil: Outsourcing to offshore will continue to be a challenge. Our industry must improve the output and reduce manpower required to produce more product. A second concern would be the reduction of interconnections by the use of wireless or other technologies that would reduce the requirement of cables. But whatever the challenges are we will meet them. We are in the business of solving problems. That’s what we do. We find a way to help our customers produce products that work.
Dan: Phil, why should customers want to do business with you?
Phil: What I really enjoy is solving problems for my customers. There is nothing like a challenge and I love making things better. Look, let me be honest here, I think it’s great when companies come to us first and I wish they would at all times. But even when they don’t, even when they have tried other companies, companies who had not been able to provide what they needed, they should not give up. They should instead give us a call. We are the last resort; if we cannot meet their needs then no one can. To all of those companies who are trying to get a new product to market, I invite you to give us a call, we’ll help you figure it out. That’ what Fastrak is all about.
Dan: Phil, Interesting stuff. I wish you well in the coming year and I hope you’ll allow me to come back and visit a year from now to see how things are going.
Phil: It would be my pleasure Dan.
For more information about Fastrak Manufacturing click here.
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