For example, a customer may not know what tolerances (how well everything fits together) are required for a particular product or part. Nunn stated that determining just the right tolerances for a particular project (tight enough to work, but not unnecessarily tight) helps keep project costs in check.
Concept Reality works with several major electronics manufacturers in the Pacific Northwest, as well as other industrial and engineering design companies – both large and small – all along the West Coast. Keyboards, mice, televisions and other video products are examples of products for which Nunn’s company has produced prototypes.
Nunn said the Great Recession led him to diversify his company’s service offerings. For example, the firm now also builds molds for companies that do carbon fiber production, and Nunn recently acquired a machine that can build molds up to 5 feet by 10 feet. By November, he also hopes to add a five-axis milling machine for ultra-precise projects.
Although there are other companies in the Portland/Vancouver metro area that make prototypes, Nunn said that his company’s fast turn-around times set him apart from the competition.
“Our standard lead time is days not months,” said Nunn. “A customer could lose millions [of dollars] every day if the product is not on the shelf.”
In fact, Nunn explained, producing parts fast enough is one of his biggest challenges. He anticipates that the new facility, with more space and better layout, will help with that.
Another way Nunn’s company is unique – at least in the stereotypical manufacturing environment – is his commitment to his employees’ quality of life.
“We’ve designed the business so that if an employee needs to go to doctor’s appointment or their son’s baseball game, they can do that,” said Nunn. “Our employees are a big part of where we’re at.”
Rather than requiring employees to use time clocks, Nunn uses a project-based approach, where the focus is on meeting tight deadlines with a high-quality product, not simply putting time in. Nunn said it is an “honor system,” where if an employee has to leave for a while, he is expected to come back later to complete his work.
“My goal is to retain every employee I can and make them feel appreciated,” said Nunn. It appears to be working; of Nunn’s 15 employees, many have been with the company 8 to 10 years, and one has been part of the team since 1999.
Going forward, Nunn said he hopes to obtain ISO certification within the next year and to “significantly increase our employee count over the next five years.” However, Nunn added that it is increasingly difficult to find qualified employees, such as skilled CNC programmers, to fill his open positions.
With future growth in mind, Nunn said he wants to work more closely with local agencies such as the Columbia River Economic Development Council (CREDC), Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council (SWWDC) and the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (GVCC). Already, he said the CREDC has been very helpful in navigating the fee holiday process for the company’s new facility, and the SWWDC has provided some on-the-job training.
Nunn said that managing his company’s growth and all these different directions at once is challenging. He recently promoted one of his existing employees to help with quoting, so that he can better concentrate on executing Concept Reality’s company’s mission: “to provide customers with quality service and good value, on time, with integrity.”
Concept Reality
1321 NE 76th St., Suite F, Vancouver
15 Employees
Founded 1997
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