Close to 3,300 people attended Haas’ four-day open house, HaasTec, held March 17-20 at its Oxnard, CA, headquarters and manufacturing facility.
Visitors came from Canada, the US, and around the world, with attendees from 48 countries, including China, India, Korea, Latin America, the Middle East, and many European countries. In addition, more than 330 students–from regional high schools, colleges, and universities–attended the event.
HaasTec included machine demonstrations, extensive tours of Haas Automation’s one million sq ft facility, a catered lunch, and 38 exhibitor booths with representatives from major CAD/CAM, tooling, and workholding manufacturers. As an added bonus, the No. 41 Haas Automation Chevrolet that Kurt Busch drove to victory at Martinsville last year was on display, courtesy of Stewart-Haas Racing.
Visitors to HaasTec often arrived in large groups, accompanied by representatives from their local Haas Factory Outlet (HFO). More than 50 HFOs worldwide, including Thomas Skinner & Son, who represents Haas in Western Canada, and Sirco Machinery, who represents Haas in Eastern Canada. arranged trips to the event to personally show customers and potential customers what goes into making a Haas.
There were 20 machines on display and running demos at HaasTec, including the new UMC-750SS super-speed universal machining centre. Also on hand were the massive ST-55 large-through-bore turning centre, the new DM-1 Drill/Mill Centre, an array of Haas VMCs, and a Haas horizontal with pallet pool system. Attendees also got to see more than 200 Haas machines in action on the factory floor, making parts for more Haas machines. Of the 298 chip-making machines in the Haas factory, 70 perncent are Haas machines.
In addition to the CNC machines, a number of Haas rotary products were also on display, including the new TRT100 high speed dual axis rotary table. With a maximum speed of 1000° per second on both axes, the TRT100 provides high speed, accurate, 3+2 positioning for machining small complex parts. The unit’s compact size and light weight make the TRT100 the perfect dual-axis solution for small machining centres.
Providing visitors with a historical perspective, HaasTec also included a display of the company’s very first VMC– machine No. 1, fitted with an early Haas rotary table–alongside its modern-day equivalent. Today’s VF-1 still sells for less than the machine’s 1988 introductory price of $49,900.
HaasTec 2015 received rave reviews from visitors and vendors alike. The leadership team of San Diego-based Workshops for Warriors, along with a handful of students and graduates of the school, made the trip to Oxnard to attend the show and see the facility first-hand. “I was in complete awe of the factory,” said retired USN Master Chief Derek Beecher, a Workshops for Warriors graduate. “When we toured the facility and walked in on a catwalk overlooking the floor, my jaw dropped.” Current Workshops for Warriors student John McMurrin echoed the statement, “It was so impressive. I had never been to a manufacturing facility of that scale.”
“We were very glad we attended this year,” said Bryan Jacobs of CGTech. “Overall, we found it to be very productive, and were able to meet with many existing customers, prospects, and HFOs. Our National Sales Manager Jim Huddy, who was also staffing the booth, was able to connect with a prospect that he’s been trying to reach for almost a decade. This event was valuable in that many of the people visiting were actual decision makers. We spoke with many executives and managers who can actually spend money.”
