Expanded Opportunities – Capps Manufacturing Adds Equipment, Plant Space
Written by: MOLLY McMILLIN, The Wichita Eagle
June 1, 2007
Aviation industry supplier Capps Manufacturing is expanding. Capps is building a $2.4 million, 79,750-square-foot building adjacent to its plant at 2121 S. Edwards. The company also is installing about $500,000 worth in equipment.
“You have to grow or get pushed aside pretty quickly in this industry,” said Ron Capps, the company’s vice president and chief financial officer.
Last summer, the company bought the 50,000-square-foot former Food-4-Less building across the street. It is used for shipping, receiving and storing finished goods and raw materials.
The expansion will allow the company to increase its benchwork and subassembly work, Capps said.
“We do a little bit of it, but we want to move more into that,” he said.
More and more, planemakers are turning to their supply chain for fabrication and assembly work, Capps said.
“It puts companies like us in a very good position for growth,” he said.
Capps employs about 110 people, up from 83 employees a year ago. It will gradually add 20 to 25 employees, Capps said.
Like other subcontractors, Capps experienced a significant drop in business in 2001. It was the first time in its history that Capps had to lay off employees.
The recovery started in late 2004. Since then, the company’s backlog of work has tripled.
Capps’ father, Barney Capps, began the business in his garage in the 1960s. He left his job as plant manager of H&H Parts in 1983 to run the company full time.
Ron Capps joined his father in the business in 1999.
Capps Manufacturing’s work includes stretch-formed skins, hydro-formed and brake-formed parts, punch-press stamping and forming, spotwelding and machined parts.
The company makes components for a variety of aircraft, including Boeing’s 737, Hawker Beechcraft’s Hawker 8000, the F-18, Bombardier’s Challenger 300, all Learjet models and many models of Cessna Aircraft jets.
It is also making the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer for Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner.
Reach Molly McMillin at 316-269-6708 or mmcmillin@wichitaeagle.com.
Copyright (c) 2007 The Wichita Eagle
Record Number: 0706010142