New sewing factory set up is underway!
We closed on the new sewing factory building in Albuquerque on March 13 but the seller didn’t vacate until last week. That said, remodeling is underway. We’ll be adding skylights (some are in already!), feedrail in both buildings and purchasing 2 48 foot long cutting tables for the shared workspace.
I hired a mechanic from El Paso to advise me on the ideal placement for the feedrail and lighting. He’ll also be sourcing the feedrail and tables from his contacts in El Paso. Ideally, the facility will be ready for business the first week of June. Subscribe to ABQFI (at right) to be notified of updates by email.
Oh, and if you don’t know what feedrail is, it is a nifty way to plug in sewing machines overhead. It is very flexible because you don’t use outlets per se; or rather, the feedrail itself is one long outlet. This allows you to move sewing machines to wherever they are needed without worrying about plugs along the wall. We’ve had flexibility built in from the get go; all of the industrial machines are on casters so they can be rolled around instead of having to use a pallet jack to move them. This article (from Fashion-Incubator) shows common items one would find in a good factory. It shows the kind of fabric spreader I will be buying too.
The photo at right is by Malissa Long. The quote is from me, reprinted from The Entrepreneurs Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing. It was kind of neat to see my words, writ large.
I presently live in Mechanicville, NY far from Albuqueque, New Mexico. Is there an offshoot of your facility in the NE. To be honest, I would love to come down there and just experience Manufacturing Boot camp. I loved sewing as a youngster and now that I am retired, I am trying to think of something worthwhile to do in the NE and this kind of field would be so nice.
No, we don’t have a location near you. Franchising is more common in consumer culture but not so much in B2B. Perhaps you can find a local organization that will appreciate your skills -perhaps you could sew for social causes etc. Maybe we’ll meet you at a boot camp in the future? Happy new year!