trend spring 06 page 24 east tech
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East Tech Company Inc. will more than triple its employees and manufacturing space through an expansion planned this year at Hamilton County’s Centre South Riverport Industrial Park. East Tech President and CEO Roger Layne has purchased over four-and-a-half acres in the park for construction of a 30,225-square-foot manufacturing facility. Layne says the company has a workforce of 13, and he expects that number to increase to 53 within five years. |
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The expansion represents an investment of $415,000 for the property, plus $1.6 million for the building and equipping the new facility, Layne says. When Layne established East Tech in 2004, the company had eight employees and was operating out of half of a 10,000 square foot building on South Creek Road. The company has grown so dramatically that East Tech sales for 2005 were $1.9 million, more than double the first year’s sales of $920,000. “We attribute our tremendous growth to great customers, great employees, great vendors and continuous reinvestment of profits back into the company,” Layne says. “Our employees have a true team effort and each employee has improved significantly. That is due in part to our continuous training and to the outstanding work of our plant manager, Archie Layne.” Layne also points out that new specialized equipment added in 2005 opened markets that East Tech previously couldn’t pursue. “Adding the Engineering Department, headed by Brett Webber, has significantly improved customer relations and efficiency,” Layne goes on. “The transfer of electronic drawing files and Cam Link software make it easier for our customers to do business with us.” Layne says East Tech sales are projected to increase significantly this year. The increase makes a larger facility, more equipment and additional employees necessary to meet the demand in 2006 alone. “The new facility will allow us to grow immediately, with additional acreage to expand in three years,” Layne says, noting that an East Tech Phase Two expansion of 33,000 square feet is projected in 2009. Layne, who spent more than 20 years at locally-based Tennessee Rand Co., says East Tech offers “the complete package” of services to Roadtec, TVA, Mohawk and other customers. “The complete package is providing engineering services, which includes design and reverse engineering, machining and fabrication of assemblies or components and complete assembly of the final product,” Layne explains. Chamber Vice President for Economic Development Trevor Hamilton points out that among the industries East Tech serves are two of Chattanooga’s target industries for recruitment – the automotive and medical industries. “East Tech’s robotic welding fixtures and resistance welding machines for automotive companies and its research and development, prototypes, parts and assemblies for the medical field make Chattanooga an even more attractive site to companies in those industries,” Hamilton says. The new East Tech facility will be located on the lot at the intersection of Amnicola Highway and River Terminal Road, across from the Post Office. |
