Unique Automation keeps factories going
Sean Dobbin Staff writer for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Charlie Schaufelberger tries to tell all his manufacturing customers the same thing. "Anything that moves, we can control it," said Schaufelberger, co-owner of Unique Automation LLC.
Whether it's a 50-ton truck lift or a massive oil pipeline, the Palmyra-based company integrates its own designs, hardware and software with customers' systems.
In short, Unique Automation makes stuff that makes stuff. Our customers "are looking to reduce the price of their product, and to do that, they have to become more automated," said Schaufelberger, 52, of Wolcott, Wayne County.
Unique Automation makes and assembles control systems for manufacturers - think a traditional conveyor-belt assembly line - or systems for companies that use hydraulics to power their machines. When a client's manufacturing equipment is outdated or malfunctioning, Unique Automation analyzes it and makes necessary additions or repairs.
Unique Automation's do-all approach is made possible by the company's flexible business model: Outside of a few basic components, very little inventory is kept in stock, so the company isn't tied to a particular style or brand of automation components.
The broad expertise of the two owners - Schaufelberger and co-owner Joe Gerbig, 52, of Newark, Wayne County, have a combined 56 years of experience in the industry - has also played a role in the company's fast growth. After increasing its revenue by 32 percent in 2006, Unique Automation grew by 61 percent in 2007 and an additional 38 percent last year. The company has a total of 11,000 square feet of space in two Palmyra buildings and is looking to expand.
Automation is a good industry to be in right now, said Alexei Alexandrov, assistant professor of economics at the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester.
But Alexandrov was impressed by Unique Automation's strong growth over the past year, as the company's customer base is made up largely of manufacturers. The manufacturing industry has been hit especially hard by the economic downturn, resulting in belt-tightening for many companies and a growing pool of people looking for work.
"In a down economy, it's probably going to be cheaper to invest in cheap labor" instead of automation, said Alexandrov. "Companies can hire pretty much anyone now at a reasonable rate."
But Unique Automation's emphasis on customer service has allowed them to grow and create what Gerbig calls a "very loyal customer base." Said Gerbig: "Once we get a chance to prove ourselves, they don't go anywhere else."
SDOBBIN@DemocratandChronicle.com
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