Success at House of Design is Robotic

Company Profile

House of Design (HoD) has established itself as a thought leader in the manufacturing industry with its dynamic automated solutions. HoD’s robotic systems for the building component and offsite construction industries are ground-breaking and in high demand as the nation works to create affordable housing. HoD helped Autovol create the integrated robotic system, below, that began a revolutionary way to produce multi-unit housing in its Nampa, ID factory.

HoD is a key player in Idaho’s advanced manufacturing community. Founded in 2012 in Nampa the company provides software development, engineering services, and robot integration for industries such as aerospace, medical device, electronics, apparel, consumer goods, packaging, and agriculture. In recent years the company has shifted focus to supply software and automated systems to support the offsite construction and building component industries.

Situation

Shifting views on robotics in manufacturing led to rapid company growth and the creation of 100+ skilled engineering, and professional positions. Growth also led HoD to move from a temporary space in the Nampa Small Business Accelerator to a new facility. In addition, new customers generated opportunities to develop automated solutions in new industry sectors. In recent years HoD experienced substantial changes to:

People – In three years, House of Design grew from 20 to 96 employees, 82% of their positions are STEM and computer science-based.
Plant – House of Design outgrew its space at the Nampa Small Business Accelerator and moved to a new facility.
Products & Customers – House of Design expanded into new market segments with companies such as Versabuilt, iClick, Keen, Little Giant Ladders, and Haemonetics.

During this period of growth the company identified needs in workforce, engineering and operations and reached out to TechHelp, a member of the MEP National Network™, for assistance.

Solution

TechHelp and other manufacturing support organizations in Idaho helped House of Design address challenges associated with the company’s rapid growth. TechHelp services and support included:

Prototyping – The TechHelp New Product Development Team produced prototypes to HoD specifications.
Fabrication Procurement – HoD specializes in custom automation therefore needed fabrication of new parts in varied materials. TechHelp has provided cost-effective fabricated parts for almost every HoD project.
Projects & Processes – While participating in TechHelp Lean Six Sigma courses, HoD staff members created projects that helped the company tackle inefficiencies. LSS projects focused on creating a formal design process, enacting a method for managing customer feedback, developing an onsite support program, and creating a standard work cell design.
People – As a partnership of Idaho’s three state universities, TechHelp acts as a bridge between HoD and the university talent the company needs to grow. HoD hired two mechanical engineers from the TechHelp New Product Development Team and is playing a key role in expanding the university talent pipeline via a new university program known as studio\Blu.
Partners & Ecosystem – HoD has been supported in its growth journey by TechHelp and its partners, including the Small Business Development Center (knowledge & mentorship), the Nampa Business Accelerator (room to grow), the Idaho Manufacturing Alliance (networking & marketing), Idaho Commerce (incentives), Idaho Labor (workforce), the Idaho STEM Action Center, and the Idaho Technology Council.

Results

New & Retained Sales – Sales from 2017 to 2020 grew by 8X 2016 annual sales total.
New Products – Involvement in proto-typing, drafting services and fabrication on 7 marketable products.
Investment – HoD will break ground on a 120,000+ square foot facility on 8 acres in Nampa.
Increased/Retained Jobs – HoD plans to double its workforce over the next 3 years, adding approx 100 new positions.

Talent from the New Product Develop Lab and Boise State School of Engineering

Since joining HoD in 2017, Tyler Dale has become an invaluable member of the team. He brought crucial skills to the company in maximizing resources and team collaboration using his experience as a former Mechanical Engineer at both TechHelp and Boise State. Tyler’s contributions here are something he takes great pride in, particularly in his work on medical devices for Haemonetics and on primers for Vista Outdoor.

Chris Brown’s distinguished career on the TechHelp Team at the Boise State New Product Development Lab was capped by the visit of a very senior executive.

Chris Brown came to HoD as a Mechanical Engineer from TechHelp and Boise State at the end of 2016, eventually working his way up to now managing the HoD Mechanical Engineering team. An easy-going and natural-born leader, he consciously approaches projects with an open mind, allowing his team to land on the most innovative solutions. Some of the work he’s most proud of include his design of dimensional lumber grips, a key End-of-Arm Robotic Tooling (EOAT) used for HoD roof and floor truss assemblies. At the top of his list, however, is when he acted as the direct contact point between the NPD lab and then-President Obama during his visit in 2015.

Link to One-Page Success Story

The TechHelp team and the NPD lab have a number of offerings to assist entrepreneurs and startups. The services of rapid prototyping, design, and CAD work are very advantageous and have filled important needs for us and others. What I see though, as the real value of the organization, is the real-world experience in both engineering and customer service that the students are getting. What a wealth of knowledge and opportunities they are developing to take into their future careers!

Ryan Okelberry, Co-Owner and Co-Founder of House of Design