Under the ownership of brothers Ray and Jesse Rollins, Jarhead Fabrications at 524 S. Patrick is a traditional service business, taking care of whatever repairs their customer needs, from motorcycles to farm equipment.
It also happens to be the first American manufacturer of a technology that is poised to revolutionize major warehouse businesses.
This is because the brothers were contacted by someone in the market for a pallet shuttlea flat, compact device that runs along tracks to pick up product and move it out as needed.
It can also be integrated with elevators and conveyors, so it can shift product across multiple levels, allowing business owners to more effectively warehouse products up to several hundred feet.
As Ray and Jesse researched the device, they realized that although there were American sellers, they couldn’t find American manufacturers. They also realized that it is a growing trend in e-commerce industry.
“I think is the trend that the big distribution centers will move towards,” Ray said. “It allows them to better utilize storage space.”
It also is perfect for cold storage as the robots can work continuously in -20 degree fahreheit facilities that would be dangerous to human employees.
Ray and Jesse have long histories in machinery, having both worked at Rigg’s in Stephenville after graduating from Dublin High School. Ray went on to work for Amazon and a couple of other companies starting as a technician and going into management. Jesse worked his way up to management at Crane Nuclear.
The brothers decided with their experience that they were up to the task of building one of the devices themselves.
“This is the most intricate piece I’ve ever worked on as far as helping design, engineer it, put it together from start to finish,” Ray said of the pallet shuttle.
Their current project is a more compact version of one they studied, sitting at around 4 feet by 20 inches wide and weighing 800 pounds.
They have made a point of machining every component themselves and getting every piece in America they could.
The brothers have been in talks with several companies in need of the shuttles from around the country and can see it becoming an international business since they are already in talks with a Canadian client.
Ray projects that they will have 20 to 40 devices in operation by the end of the year. That means a lot of work since Ray and Jesse estimate that around 24 manhours go into building the robots. Dublin EDC helped in this endeavor with a grant for job creation that Jarhead recently received. All of this innovation is happening in the former site of Johnson’s Sheet Metal that Ray and Jesse bought and moved into around the begnning of the year.
Jarhead’s crew of eight including Johnny and Benna Johnson, who still come in daily, also aim to assist the traditional customers of the shop in repairing whatever equipment needs fixing.
“If it’s made out of metal, we can work on it for the most part,” Jesse said.
Although the official hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Jesse said they always strive to be available for customers with emergency weekend work. For more information, call (254) 335- 0158 or find Jarhead Fabrication Company on Facebook.