Behind the scenes

Garmin's R&D and manufacturing campus

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  Garmin tests its avionics to make sure they operate properly when exposed to high intensity radiated fields (transmitted by something outside of the aircraft such as radio towers, radar, or military transmissions)—or if the aircraft gets struck by lightning—in its HIRF lab. Undergoing testing on the table is an entire King Air Autoland and Autothrottle system, including all the cables, switches, servos, bulkheads, components, and avionics that would be found in an actual installation.
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  Garmin’s simulators are used for aircraft manufacturer demos, training for numerous owners and pilots association groups, and human factors testing. Seeing how customers “fly” the avionics helps Garmin fine-tune buttonology and wayfinding—the most intuitive way to find and use each function.
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  Robots autonomously deliver parts just in time from the warehouse to the avionics manufacturing center, built in 2018. On the first level Garmin prints circuit boards, solders components onto the boards, and conducts testing.
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  Garmin produces these parts in-house instead of outsourcing not only to ensure quality control, but also to enable its Olathe-based design engineers to help optimize the manufacturing process.
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  On the second level, Garmin has cleverly arranged 19 portable assembly stations called work cells, each of which includes the components and technicians required to build between 15 and 50 different units. Employees are cross trained to build units in multiple work cells so that customer orders can be fulfilled in the shortest amount of time. The entire manufacturing center can be rearranged and reimagined (most equipment is on wheels) to optimize workflows and parts deliveries as product offerings evolve.