Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1140547
JULY 2019 I DESIGN007 MAGAZINE 99 smart plating line from Jake. We've had dis- cussions around the smarts we're going to be able to extract from that machine as processing is going through. Matties: Jake, from your point of view as an equipment supplier to an organization like that, can you talk about how working with somebody who's doing something unique has played into your thinking? Jake Kelly: It's exciting working with a com- pany like Trackwise and to have Phillip get in- volved and find out what the challenges are, how we can help, and how we can make a specialist tool for a specialist product. Our day- to-day business is generally the same type of equipment, and we like to work with a chal- lenge; it keeps it fresh and real. And the equipment that we've just supplied here at Trackwise is, as Phillip was saying, a very specialized plating line with wheel-to- wheel, some automation, and other advanced features—a lot of which we can't go into in detail—but it shows that Viking, in particular, is a thinking company. We're adaptable and flexible. We listen to what people want and are prepared to go do it. Sadly, a lot of com - panies don't do that today. It's more, "This is what it is. Do you want it or not?" or, "Do you want it? If so, how many do you want?" You have to go out of your way, and it's challeng - ing, but you must be versatile. That's where Viking is succeeding today where others aren't doing so well. Johnston: I would thoroughly endorse that. We have a limited production space here. The plat- ing line would generally be 40 meters long, and we have approximately 12.2 meters. I wouldn't say it was a battle, but we cooperated to fit that functionality into that footprint. And as Jake said, there aren't many other suppliers who are willing to do that, or we haven't found them. It's a big part of what we've been doing. Matties: It makes a big difference having a co- operating partner that buys into the vision. I completely agree with what you're saying. Johnston: And particularly if we are doing something no one else in the world is doing. Matties: I saw a photo with your team hold- ing a flag that was 26 meters or something like that. There's a lot of pride in this, isn't there? Johnston: Yes, that was funny. It was a freez- ing cold day and we were all in our company- branded polo shirts outside, and the photog- rapher was on the crane with his thick, woo- ly coat and hat, and we were freezing. But yes, there's a lot of work that goes in from the team, the suppliers, and everybody to produce that, and the customer is rather shy about al- lowing us to publicize what they're doing, al- though it's an absolutely amazing craft. We are proud of what we are doing. Matties: How many people do you have work- ing here? Johnston: 50. Matties: Coming out of the design background and moving into fabrication, that's not a path that we see a lot of the design bureaus taking. What was the thinking behind that? Johnston: This was 30 years ago, but if you see a design, why not make it as well? But that was before my day. Matties: Even 30 years ago, there was a move from design to manufacturing. Johnston: It's not a trivial step. Today, there's more specialism. One generation ago, there was probably more general services. Matties: Let's talk about designers for a few minutes. We know that in America, there's an aging population with a lot of tribal knowledge that the designers of the future are now enter- ing into. You are still doing some design so you must be hiring some designers. Johnston: Yes. We've hired graduate R&D engi- neers who are three extremely bright and very