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Seattle area manufacturing?

Machinist_max

Aluminum
Joined
Dec 15, 2016
I have never been to the west.
Its a story, but I might spend some time in that area, and will have to self entertain during the day.
I own a job shop in Milwaukee.

So I'm hoping someone can educate me on what manufacturing is like in that area.
How does it compare to Milwaukee?
 
Pretty different, I think. The only old, big company is Boeing. And its pretty high tech- whole plants that do nothing but carbon fiber. Paccar is big, building semi trucks, but while the headquarters and a couple of facilities are near Seattle, they have plants Holland, Brazil, and Mexico. There are a lot of smaller, new high tech shops scattered from CAnada to Oregon, aerospace, medical, electronics, and maritime are all big. But the old industrial areas are all redeveloped, and the new stuff is scattered and hidden. There is still a steel mill a few miles from downtown.

Washingto and Wisconsin have almost the same gross from manufacturing - $63 billion or so- but Washington has fewer, better paid employees in smaller shops.
 
They make money in Seattle. The sushi in the grocery store is not in plastic containers thawed out. Nucor plate mill like ries said- a lot of our plate comes from there. The whole Alaskan shipping area is full of neat things.
They also make really nice row boats and backbacks there. Really nice row boats.

I mean perfect weather and water and mountains make for a really harsh place to spend a few days. The Boeing museum is cool too.
 
what are the chances of finding a small shop that would be looking for help for a week ish here and there few times a year, such that I could make a few bucks during the day.
In Milwaukee, there is so many its easy.
 
My shop is an hour and half north of Seattle
. Within 50 miles of me there are probaby 30 boatbuilders, ranging from 3500$ kayaks to 400 ft ships. Tugs, barges, oil spill response vessels for the UAE, fishing boats, million dollar “toy” tug boats by Nordic tug, carbon fiber racing sailboats, and even aluminum,inflatable assault boats for navy seals. None of it cheap. I have had several ex employees of mine go on to run aluminum mig all day on 30 foot seams, or become the tig specialist for pleasure/work boats with landing craft style drop ramp bows. And we also refit and rebuild nuclear subs. Lotsa boaty floaty shops.
 
My shop is an hour and half north of Seattle
. Within 50 miles of me there are probaby 30 boatbuilders, ranging from 3500$ kayaks to 400 ft ships. Tugs, barges, oil spill response vessels for the UAE, fishing boats, million dollar “toy” tug boats by Nordic tug, carbon fiber racing sailboats, and even aluminum,inflatable assault boats for navy seals. None of it cheap. I have had several ex employees of mine go on to run aluminum mig all day on 30 foot seams, or become the tig specialist for pleasure/work boats with landing craft style drop ramp bows. And we also refit and rebuild nuclear subs. Lotsa boaty floaty shops.

Welding wouldn't be bad either, started tig welding when I was 12, I could even throw my engine drive welding skid in the truck.
I'm just looking to help someone out, make a few bucks maybe, and do something while I have time during the day, Instead of being a tourist or sitting around.
 
Thousands of small machine shops have closed in the greater Seattle area in the last decade or two as Boeing's manufacturing process has changed. There is no longer a machinery dealer in Seattle. No one to sell to.

Don't want to rain on your parade but I would stay in Milwaukee.
 
Thousands of small machine shops have closed in the greater Seattle area in the last decade or two as Boeing's manufacturing process has changed. There is no longer a machinery dealer in Seattle. No one to sell to.

Don't want to rain on your parade but I would stay in Milwaukee.

grant, a lot of that is Seattle real estate prices. I have a half dozen machine and fab shops within ten miles of me.
Janicki, for example, has 600 employees and five of the largest milling machines in the world.
T Bailey has a 25 acre facility buiding pressure vessels up to 100 tons and 120 feet long.
Team buids the best seismic testing equpment in the world.
there are plants making cnc cow milking machines, other plants making seafood processimg equipment, and 2 or 3 decent sized boeing subs.
Most western washington counties outside of Seattle have similar small to mid sized shops tucked away making stuff. You just dont see them in metro Seattle anymore.
but they are there.
There used to be a funky galvanizer in Ballard- not big, and I never liked their quality. A family of Iranian- americans bought them, and now they are in Arlington with a five acre yard, A fleet of 25,000lb forklifts, and a brand new plant with 45 ‘ kettles. Bigger, more modern, and higher quality than the old Seattle. This is true for many machine shops, too.
 
Thousands of small machine shops have closed in the greater Seattle area in the last decade or two as Boeing's manufacturing process has changed. There is no longer a machinery dealer in Seattle. No one to sell to.

Don't want to rain on your parade but I would stay in Milwaukee.

I'm NOT moving, just looking to occupy sometime productively while I'm there.
 
There used to be a funky galvanizer in Ballard- not big, and I never liked their quality. A family of Iranian- americans bought them, and now they are in Arlington with a five acre yard, A fleet of 25,000lb forklifts, and a brand new plant with 45 ‘ kettles. Bigger, more modern, and higher quality than the old Seattle. This is true for many machine shops, too.

Ace galvanizing? They had a shop in Ballard that did a lot of ship stuff and galvanized the Simpson bracketa you couldn't get done that way from Simpson. We used their location in south seattle back on the day.
 








 
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