Machine Sciences Corp. specializes in the production of complex parts for space, aerospace and similar industries. Founded in 2001, the company seeks to differentiate itself from other machine shops by emphasizing customer service and frequent communication. It employs about 130 people at its 72,000-square-foot facility in Tualatin.
Much of Machine Sciences Corp.’s work finds its way into unmanned aerial vehicles, including many of the components within their distinctive sensor spheres. The company also produces many parts for satellites, from simple brackets to optical benches that direct lasers hundreds of miles to collect data, says Karsson Koivisto, Machine Sciences Corp.’s chief sales and marketing officer. The company also produces parts for terrestrial use, including some used in robotic surgery machines.
Thanks in large part to its work for aerospace businesses, the company has developed expertise in machining tricky materials such as magnesium, which is flammable but weighs only half as much as aluminum.
Machine Sciences Corp. also differentiates itself by serving as a protype-through-production manufacturer. Companies often use one shop to develop a prototype and another shop to manufacture the part itself at volume. But such separation carries supply chain risk that Machine Sciences Corp. mitigates by doing everything in-house, says Koivisto.
The company’s approach has generated significant growth. Its annual growth rate is about 20%, says Koivisto, and that rate has increased over the last few years to 30%.