Five Axis Models, a maker of prototype automobiles, is moving from Santa Ana to a bigger facility in Lake Forest in what it says is a bid to keep up with demand for its services.
The company is moving to a 25,000-square-foot site in Lake Forest so it can increase its workload, said Troy Sumitomo, president of Five Axis.
“We are turning down work because we cannot handle it,” he said. “We are sitting on each other’s shoulders.”
At the company’s current 8,000-square-foot facility, workers only can handle two or three cars at a time, he said. The company has 12 employees, though Sumitomo said that could easily double once they get into the new facility. The company counts about $2 million in annual revenue, which Sumitomo said he hopes to increase to $3 million by next year.
“We would have to structure (the company) so we can have that growth. The first step is to get into the facility,” Sumitomo said.
Five Axis makes test models of concept vehicles for the automotive industry. Some of its revenue also comes from making other consumer products such as furniture prototypes.
When an automaker designs a car, it hires a company like Five Axis to build a prototype and put it together, everything from the radio and seats to the engine and exhaust system.
Five Axis works with General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. as well as Honda Motor Co.’s U.S. arm, based in Torrance. Most of Five Axis’ work comes from carmakers based in OC, such as Mazda North America Operations, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America and Hyundai’s Kia Motors America. “Most (of our clients) are Orange County-based,” Sumitomo said.
Some of the company’s most recent prototypes include Acura’s sport utility vehicle, the MDX, and a concept hybrid vehicle for Honda that was revealed at an auto show earlier this year.
The new facility will have more security than the Santa Ana building, Sumitomo said, in order to please the auto companies.
Sumitomo said it is busier right now because auto companies want the prototypes for the car shows, which start at the beginning of the year.
“Right now it is crazy. It’s brutal,maintaining those deadlines. Detroit won’t wait two days for a car,” he said.
But finding skilled workers is one of the biggest challenges, he said. “It’s a niche industry. It is not just something anybody can do,” Sumitomo said.
The company looks to find qualified employees from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, one of four main automotive design schools in the world as well as from other sources. n
