Interface Welding, a California-based company, has been producing inertia/friction welding with particular emphasis on bi-metal fabrications for 54 years. That may be tech-speak to most of us, but to some of the world’s largest and most prestigious high-tech manufacturers, it is an essential specialty service. Growth among those high-tech manufacturers and increased demand for Interface Welding services has led the company to expansion plans that include establishment of manufacturing facilities in Southeast Volusia County at Edgewater.
“Interface Welding choosing Volusia County as an expansion site is great news on many levels,” said Keith Norden, CEcD, President and CEO of Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation. “Of course, we are pleased to welcome the company to the area, but we are also pleased that in doing so, we welcome a leading-edge manufacturer that serves other high-tech enterprises. This underscores our carefully crafted target industry criteria and it presents our community to many companies with which the Interface Welding’s leadership will be conducting business in emerging industries such as aerospace.”
“We were introduced to Volusia County at a trade show,” said company president Steve Craig.
On a subsequent site selection trip to Daytona Beach, Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation assembled information about sites available throughout the county as well as other information relative to expansion in the area. Craig was particularly pleased with Edgewater, both as a community and for the site options available.
In crystalizing his site selection thoughts, several representatives of Team Volusia, and its community partners, assisted in presenting important information and resources to Craig. They included Robin King, President and CEO of CareerSource Flagler/Volusia; Kent Sharples of the CEO Business Alliance; Bliss Jamison of Massey Properties; John Ferguson of Cobb Cole Law; Bob Ludlow of Truist Financial Corporation; and Dwight Durant of Zev Cohen & Associates.
“We are pleased to welcome Interface Welding to Volusia County,” said Volusia County Manager George Recktenwald. “As a well-established firm in the high-tech manufacturing arena, Interface Welding’s team will feel right at home here, surrounded by an entire culture of high-tech enterprises that stretch from Volusia County and along Central Florida’s High Tech Corridor.”
Edgewater Economic Development Director Samantha Bergeron also sees Edgewater as a perfect fit for Interface Welding. “ Of course, welcoming a leading-edge manufacturer that is already a player in tech-driven technologies is a big plus for the community. And the re-energized aviation and aerospace industries puts Interface Welding in close proximity to the Space Coast and other important assets,” said Bergeron.
While proximity to the Space Coast was not a critical consideration, its potential is not lost on Craig. “Doing business in this area and doing business in California are two different things. The fact that in Edgewater we are close to the Space Coast and that major players in the aerospace industry are more approachable here will open some door for us.”
Interface Welding is an important supplier to aerospace industry leaders, but its products and services touch many industries. In addition to aerospace applications, Interface Welding is an important resource for manufacturers of both military and commercial aircraft. It also plays a key role in precise work related to rocket nozzles and motors, ordnance items, nuclear reactors, hydraulics, valves, automotive racing, family cars, oil field drilling and production, cutting tools, turbines, gears, shafts, and many others.
The company has achieved National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program certification (NADCAP), qualifying it to compete for a variety of precision manufacturing assignments in high-tech applications.
NADCAP is a company level accreditation based on specific processes used by aerospace suppliers such as chemical processing, coatings, conventional machining, heat treating, nondestructive testing, and welding, among others. NADCAP accreditation is an industry driven program where highly qualified individuals with experience in the aerospace industry conduct the actual process audits, using criteria specific to an actual process.
Among the technical applications of Interface Welding products, thirty of those products were aboard the last Mars rover and 80 parts are on Voyager Deep Probe, an accomplishment that brought a congratulatory correspondence from NASA.
The company will operate from a facility on 1.7 acres in Parktowne Industrial Center in Edgewater. “We have a 30,000 square foot building in California, which is more than we need. But we are committed to Florida and I’ve got some key people who want to come with me."
Craig says he liked everything about Volusia County including business climate, the proximity to talent, and the quality of life. He is an avid fisherman, a great fit for Volusia County, and his wife is from Brazil; the Craigs like the proximity to Brazil from Volusia County compared to the West Coast. “I like the area. I like the location. I like Edgewater. And I have enjoyed working with everyone in Volusia County."
Interface Welding is a small company that will assemble a local workforce of about 20 people over the next three years. Its capital investment is projected at $5 million. Its annual payroll will be $1,000,000 with an an average wage of $50,000.
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