Chris Power is building automated factories at Hadrian
Sep 29, 2023
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Chris Power, founder of Hadrian Automation, discusses building automated factories for aerospace and defense companies. Topics include private equity, decline of American manufacturing, space industry growth, and TransDime's success. Plethora's failed automation is contrasted with Hadrian's approach.
Hadrian Automation aims to automate the manufacturing process for aerospace parts, offering faster lead times and reduced costs.
Chris Power's diverse career background in e-commerce, scheduling, and space industry advocacy has prepared him for the challenges of building a fast-growing industrial business.
Deep dives
The Origin Story of Hadrian Automation
Hadrian Automation is a startup founded by Chris Power that aims to automate the manufacturing process for aerospace parts. The idea came from the realization that the American manufacturing supply chain is outdated and in need of improvement. Hadrian focuses on precision components for aerospace and defense tech, offering faster lead times and reduced costs. They have built two factories, with the goal of achieving a 10x speed increase and a 50% cost reduction. The company has received significant funding from investors like Founders Fund, Lux, and Andreessen Horowitz, recognizing the potential of their vision.
Chris Power's Career Journey
Chris Power has had a diverse career path, starting in e-commerce before shifting his focus to the space industry. After working for small e-commerce companies, he joined Ento, a workforce scheduling software company. Following this, he became an advisor at the Open Lunar Foundation, a nonprofit aiming to settle the moon. In 2020, Chris started an acquisition fund targeting strategic manufacturing, but ultimately decided to pursue the startup model with Hadrian Automation. His experience in e-commerce, scheduling, and space industry advocacy has prepared him for the challenges of building a fast-growing industrial business.
The Need for Automation in Aerospace and Defense
The aerospace and defense industry is rapidly growing, with significant investments pouring in and a projected trillion-dollar annual revenue by 2040. However, the industry is hindered by a fragmented supply chain and long lead times for manufacturing precision parts. Hadrian Automation aims to address these challenges by leveraging autonomous software-powered factories and their proprietary ERP system called Flow. The goal is to streamline production from order to fulfillment, significantly reducing lead times and improving overall efficiency.
The Potential of Hadrian Automation
Hadrian Automation holds great potential, especially in the context of the growing space industry. By offering faster lead times and cost reduction, they have positioned themselves to be a significant player in the aerospace and defense sector. With the backing of notable investors and their focus on the factory as the product, Hadrian has set themselves up for long-term success. While there are challenges ahead, the vision of automating the manufacturing process for aerospace parts has the potential to be a game-changer in the industry.
Chris Power started a company in 2020 to build automated factories. The goal is to supply parts for aerospace and defense companies more quickly and affordably. His journey touches a bunch of interesting stories around private equity and venture startups, as well as the general decline of American manufacturing capabilities. Hope you enjoy it!
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