Hardware Podcasts

From Garage Startup to EMS Excellence with Out of the Box COO Allison Budvarson

EMS@C-LEVEL · 14 Apr 2024 · 8m

What this episode covers

Allison Budvarson, Co-Founder and COO of Out of the Box Manufacturing, explains how her company evolved from a 2008 garage startup to a 70-employee contract manufacturer serving aerospace and defense clients. She details their hybrid business model, which balances 50% revenue from rapid prototypes with 50% from established local OEM products, supported by AS9100 and ITAR certifications. Budvarson discusses the operational challenges of managing fluid schedules and the strategic decision to reshore production despite higher onshore costs, citing intellectual property safety and collaboration benefits. Finally, she highlights the critical industry-wide talent shortage and her proactive approach to recruiting through high school engagement, apprenticeships, and maintaining gender parity in management.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Out of the Box
Also
AS9100, ITAR, CMMC, NIST, IPC Leadership Summit, APEX 2024

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