Visiontec LLC, a Spokane contract manufacturer, plans to more than quadruple the amount of space it has for its operations by moving into a former Rosauers supermarket building, at 10920 E. Sprague, which Visiontec recently leased.


Rick Hansen, Visiontecs CEO, says the manufacturing company needs the newly leased, 50,800-square-foot location because the 11,700-square-foot facility it currently occupies at 12926 E. Indiana isnt big enough to accommodate a high-speed surface-mount circuit-board line the company bought last month. Also, the companys current space doesnt have an adequate power supply to run the new equipment, he says.


Visiontec will begin moving to the former Rosauers building next month, and the move should be completed by April, Hansen says.


Last months purchase of the surface-mount circuit-board line gives the company two such assembly lines that use robotics to place parts on electronic boards and solder them in place. Richard Tinsley, Visiontecs vice president of operations, says the company also hopes to acquire by early next year a third high-speed line with the capability to solder components on bigger circuit boards up to 14 inches wide by 17 inches long.


By the end of this year, Visiontec also expects to hire an additional 10 people, Hansen says.


The company currently employs 45 people, up from five when it was launched here nearly four years ago. He says that about half of those new hires will be assembly workers, while the remainder will fill positions in program management, sales, and customer technical support.


Hansen predicts that if the company continues to grow at its current rate, it could outgrow its new location within two years.


Visiontec, which opened its doors here in 1996, initially specialized in assembling cable harnesses used in computers, fax machines, and other electronic products. Now, it also performs surface-mount work and varied custom-assembly work for customers across Washington, Idaho, and Oregon. The company also offers product-design support, materials management, and repair of products, both while theyre under warranty and afterward, Hansen says.


We want our customers to maximize their talents and focus on developing new products and marketing those products, and not be concerned about production, testing, field repairs, and materials management, he says.


Visiontecs new location will include electrostatic discharge conductive flooring, office space for the companys customers who come in and need a place to work, and a secure lab where Visiontecs customers can test and redesign prototypes privately, Tinsley says.