Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

“If you do the math, we’re 87 times bigger than we were in 1989,” said James Lewis, who joined Hughes as the company’s second employee and now serves as Axis Fabrication & Machine‘s president. “Isn’t that great?”

At the ribbon cutting, we heard how that growth happened and why staying in Blount County was an easy choice.

A “three-legged stool”

Axis bought its first CNC machine in 1994. From there, it grew steadily through shops of 2,500, 5,000, 24,000 and 45,000 square feet.

Along the way, the company found its niche as a manufacturer who doesn’t make its own product.  “We’re really a service company,” Lewis explained.  Original equipment manufacturers across the region and the country hire Axis to produce parts and assemblies, either as build-to-order or contract work.

And that first CNC machine has grown into a model Lewis calls the “three-legged stool”: CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication and craftsman-quality welding all under one roof. To Lewis, this combination sets Axis apart from many shops and has let it serve industries ranging from appliances to aerospace.

Choosing to stay

That versatility eventually caused the company to “bust at the seams” at their previous 45,000-square-foot-facility on Frank Bird Boulevard. There was no land left to expand there, which Lewis called “a testament to the county’s success in attracting businesses.”

So, Axis decided to find new land, and build a new facility. But the company faced an issue that most East Tennessee developers know all too well: the proposed site “wasn’t really conducive to building.”

However, as East Tennessee does, public partners stepped in to close that gap. The Blount Partnership worked with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT), the Blount County Highway Department and many more to build a road and bring utilities to the property.

That new road is now named Major General Fred Forster Drive. The street was dedicated right before the ribbon cutting to honor the late general, who commanded the 134th Air Refueling Wing at McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base.

“They acted like they wanted us to stay in Blount County,” Lewis said.

President and CEO of the Blount Partnership, Bryan Daniels, said going the extra mile was more than worth it.

“The success of any community’s economy is in its existing industry, and you guys continue to invest and grow,” he said. “Whatever our existing industry needs, we always want to be at the table.”

Designed for modern manufacturing

The new square footage is a big accomplishment, but Lewis was clear that size was never the goal.

“A building is just steel and concrete, but it’s the people that make the company,” he said. “Psalm 127:1 says, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.’ This building came down to God’s timing. We didn’t grow to be the biggest shop in the neighborhood. We grew to help our employees have more opportunities and to help our customers to be able to service them better.”

Touring the facility, we saw that firsthand. The building was planned around efficiency: lighting, the shop floor layout, material staging and larger training and meeting spaces were all designed to increase throughput. Even the improved security does double duty, now supporting the company’s efforts towards more work that requires a Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC).

Efficiency follows through to new equipment as well. Their new tower system is set up to feed both of their lasers and features an automated racking system that holds 30 different types of material. Plus, it brings the required material directly to the laser.

With major manufacturing and energy companies continuing to invest in East Tennessee, that means greater production capacity for Axis customers and room for larger runs as their volume grows.

It’s a good thing that their new site has even more land ready primed for future expansion.

Follow Axis on LinkedIn. 

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