SoundTraxx, a Durango company that makes sound and control systems for model trains, plans to move by mid-2015 into a new headquarters in the Durango Tech Center.
Construction of the 18,900-square-foot building is prompted by a need for better manufacturing space.
“The workflow no longer makes any sense,” said Nancy Workman, chief operating officer. “You want everything to go in one straight line. Instead of a straight line, our assembly line right now is kind of a big U. It’s not as efficient as it should be.”
The move will allow more space for machines, such as a flying probe tester and a surface-mounted pick-and-place machine.
“We use the same kind of high-tech equipment that places like Motorola use for cellphones,” Workman said.
SoundTraxx sends its circuit boards to Asia to be inserted into model trains. The trains then are imported into the U.S.
SoundTraxx has about 30 employees. Many of the more skilled jobs require recruiting from outside the area, Workman said.
“You certainly can’t find people off the street to work in most of the departments we have,” she said.
Air travel from Durango is another obstacle, Workman said.
“If you can’t get that first flight (out of Durango), you might as well go home and start over the next day,” she said.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
