Modern factories that build consumer products today usually require the integration of robotics technologies and automation alongside human workers. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills have become more crucial for the manufacturing workforce of the future.
Haas Automation has partnered with Nevada educators to sponsor innovative educational programs that help students become enthusiastic and comfortable about interacting with these new technologies.
Originally founded in 1983, Haas Automation has designed and manufactured computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine tools, lathes, rotary tables and collet indexers that generate $1.8 billion in revenue annually from international sales to 100 countries.
NEW FACTORY
During October 2024, the company broke ground on a 2.3-million-square-foot factory south of the Henderson Executive Airport.
The groundbreaking ceremony featured company CEO and founder, Gene Haas, along with Nevada government leaders that included Gov. Joe Lombardo, U.S. Congresswoman Dina Titus, Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft, Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero and Henderson Councilman Dan Shaw.
Haas has invested $100 million into the acquisition and development of the site and will invest another $300 million over the next few years. The Haas Foundation also has invested $12 million into local community nonprofit organizations.
The factory construction project will create 500 jobs during the next two years and 1,400 jobs over the next five years. Once the factory is completed, the company will move its operations from Oxnard, California, to the new site in Henderson.
“I’ve been in the machine tool business for 50 years and this building will reflect that experience, “said Haas during the groundbreaking ceremony. “Nevada fits our personality. We are a small company by California standards and Nevada is a small state. But people here are more direct and get things done. You are not afraid to build here.”
“It is a beautiful piece of land,” he said. “Our goal is to turn it into a manufacturing sector. We will be moving our operations here under one roof.”
“We have been eagerly awaiting this day,” said Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero. “This project will be a mighty economic engine for the city.”
“From 2012 to 2022, manufacturing jobs in Nevada have increased by 61 percent, while overall employment in the state grew by 26 percent,” Lombardo said. “Advanced manufacturing will enable our state to attract quality employers and good-paying jobs that contribute to economic diversity and resilience. State and municipal partners realize the importance of creating and fostering a skilled workforce for current and future manufacturing sectors across Nevada.”
Haas Automation is the last major machine tool manufacturing company located in the United States at this time. “On-shoring” trends, led by federal government policies to bolster local supply chains after the COVID-19 pandemic, have contributed to a manufacturing resurgence within the U.S.
CENTER FOR WORKFORCE EXCELLENCE
The company has worked with the College of Southern Nevada to open the Debra March Center for Workforce Excellence during August of 2023. The training center is named after the former mayor of Henderson, who led the Southern Nevada Strong regional development program during her tenure.
The new training facility is dedicated to introducing students to hands-on operation and certification with advanced manufacturing technologies that are commonly used in modern factories worldwide.
Oct. 18-19, 2024, the Gene Haas Foundation hosted a Haas Technical Education Conference at the College of Southern Nevada facility. The first 65 technical educators who registered for the conference were also eligible for an in-field tour of the NASCAR Xfinity race track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The Gene Haas Foundation has provided more than $100 million in community grants since its establishment in 1999 and has sponsored Nevada statewide educational programs that have added robots to educational programs.
“Hands-on 3D printing skills like computer-aided design and additive manufacturing are a first step toward learning advanced machining skills that combine additive and subtractive manufacturing” said Kathy Loomans, director of education at the Gene Haas Foundation. “You need to plant the seeds. Kids, today, are already doing high-level research on their own through their cellphone apps like Google and YouTube technical videos. Our responsibilities are to grow those seeds by providing them a catalyst to think about technical careers.”
ROBOTICS PROGRAM
The foundation has partnered with the Nevada Department of Education, that serves 500,000 students within 750 schools statewide. The NDE invested $4 million into the FIRST Nevada robotics program during 2023. Fifteen counties within Nevada have already implemented hands-on learning programs from kindergarten to high school through this organization.
FIRST is an acronym: For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology. The educational organization was created by Dean Kamen and partners in 1991. Kamen is an inventor and entrepreneur, best known for his commercialization of the Segway personal mobility scooter. The two-wheel Segway platform included self-balancing motors and intuitive software features that interacted with each rider’s body movements to drive the platform forward, turn or reverse.
FIRST Robotics programs teach interdisciplinary STEM skills while engaging students to work together as teams to build and program mobile robot platforms that can compete against robots from other school teams.
FIRST Lego League competitions teach practical programming and building skills to elementary school students, while the FIRST Tech Challenge is targeted at middle school students and the FIRST Robotics Competition at high school students.
Their contributions of funding and support have enabled Las Vegas to continue to host the FIRST Robotics Competition semi-finals at Thomas & Mack stadium on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas campus for 20 consecutive years.
“FIRST Robotics is the most effective program I have seen that can make a change in children about STEM education,” said Jean Hoppert, board of directors member of FIRST Nevada, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the FIRST Robotics organization, locally. “It makes a difference.”
The FIRST Robotics nonprofit organization connects students to $80 million in scholarship opportunities each year through its corporate sponsors.
Haas also applied his skills of precision manufacturing and efficiency to the wild world of automotive racing. He invested in a NASCAR racing team (Stewart-Haas Racing, now Haas Racing) and also is the owner of the only American Formula 1 racing team (Haas Formula 1). His teams race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during local NASCAR events and on Las Vegas Boulevard during the Las Vegas Grand Prix.