Boom Time for Safety Guards

Though the economy has been tough on everyone in the past few years, some companies thrive.
Faztek is already a leading manufacturer in building aluminum guards for machinery and has been continuously expanding since it was founded in 2001. Chief Operating Officer Aaron McDevitt says Faztek has increased its manufacturing space by 25 percent and has added three new machines, allowing it to continue to service the market quickly while experiencing record sales growth.

Faztek, 5120 Investment Drive, started with five employees in 2001 and now has 17 full time; six have been hired in the past four years. When the company started, it had 2,800 square feet of manufacturing space; now it has 21,000 square feet, with an opportunity to expand further.
At its start, Faztek served only the market for T-slot aluminum frame – one type of guard for machinery. Now it's well on its way to becoming a full-line safety-guarding company. McDevitt said Faztek has joined forces with the steel-frame company Wireway and Riken Optics to offer a less-expensive alternative to aluminum frames and high-end safety light curtains under the Faztek name. A light curtain is a series of light beams that when interrupted – by a person accidentally passing through them, for example – will automatically shut down a machine.
T-slot aluminum and steel frames are mainly used for machine enclosures, perimeter guarding and safety fencing but have many applications. McDevitt said Faztek's potential customer base is endless. Faztek has served large companies, universities, homeowners and small businesses.
The company has staff designers who receive blueprints ranging from a table, bench or a shelving unit to a 20-by-20-foot enclosure. These staff designers give 75 to 80 price estimates a week to customers, help them design what they want and build it.

“The expansion came from who can deliver the product the fastest,” McDevitt said. The company could not continue experiencing sales growth and maintain its reputation of being one of the fastest in the industry without expanding. Faztek's revenue grew 37 percent last year and is on pace to be 30 percent ahead of that for next year. Because of this, the company decided to increase its production area and buy the new machines, the latter of which cost about $70,000.

“We're investing for the future,” McDevitt said.

Only the aluminum parts are made in Faztek's factory, but the new machines allow for more parts to be created more quickly to add to the diverse inventory.
 
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