Jaguar Manufacturing Inc., a contract manufacturer of custom wiring harnesses and cables for electronic devices, has opened a plant in Hayden, Idaho, and has moved its headquarters there from Bend, Ore.


In January, the 10-year-old company bought an 8,400-square-foot building at 9880 Atlas Road for its new plant and headquarters facility in the North Idaho city, and earlier this month shipped its first products from there to its largest customer, says CEO Vicky Anderson.


Jaguar Manufacturings high-end wiring products are used in industrial, military, and medical applications, Anderson says.


Our niche is in radio-frequency-based products, which is a growing technology, she says.


The company is still in its initial hiring phase at the Hayden plant, Anderson says.


Weve hired five people so far, not including myself, she says. Ideally, we would like to have 10 to 15 people, and our goal is to increase to 25 employees at some point.


Anderson declines to name any of Jaguars customers, but says they include makers of land-leveling and surveying equipment.


She says Jaguar currently is gearing up for its next big order.


Our second-largest customer is releasing products in March, she says.


Jaguar had sales last year of $1.3 million, Anderson says, adding that the companys goal is to exceed $2 million in sales this year.


She says the company will continue production at its Bend facility, where it employs six workers, although Hayden now is home to the companys main plant.


The location is economically and strategically better here, Anderson says of the main plant, which is just north of Hayden Avenue, about two miles west of U.S. 95. The (Coeur dAlene) airport is nearby and we can move products in and out quickly.


Also, with Haydens proximity to Coeur dAlene and Spokane, the pool of available labor is larger than in the Bend area, she says.


The closest big city to Bend is Eugene, which is more than a two-hour drive away, making it difficult to draw labor from outside of Bend.


Anderson says she was pleased to find that potential suppliers to the company are located in the Inland Northwest.


We are strategically aligned with vendors in the area that can support our growth, she says.


She says expenses in Bend are rising for smaller businesses. Buying a building there is difficult, and the cost of doing business is continuing to skyrocket, Anderson says.


She says the Hayden facility allows the company to increase its production capacity immediately, although she already foresees a need to increase the office space there.


Were looking to turn (the total floor space) to 10,000 square feet, she says, although she hasnt set a time line for the envisioned addition.


Now, the focus is on hiring and training, she says. We have to break it down into manageable pieces.


William Robinette, of Coeur dAlene-based Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty, and Don Jamieson and Grant Person, both of Spokane-based NAI Black, handled the real estate transaction.


Contact Mike McLean at (509) 344-1266 or via e-mail at mikem@spokanejournal.com.