Would you like a tour of our offices here at AVL USA? We've created a new video on our Youtube Channel with a behind the scenes look at our offices here in Chico, CA!
Showing posts with label about AVL Looms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label about AVL Looms. Show all posts
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Friday, March 20, 2015
AVL Interview: Aaron Johnson
Today we take a look inside AVL and meet a member of the team who make looms happen! Aaron Johnson has been with AVL for almost 1 year now and is part of the “next generation” of AVL employees.
Name: Aaron
Title: Process engineer
University & Degree: Chico State / Mechanical Engineering
Favorite Movie: The Rocketeer
So Aaron, what does “Process Engineer” really mean?
I’m in charge of making sure the way we do things is the best way with respect to cost / time / quality.
Before working at AVL, did you know anything about looms?
Honestly, no. But… I know how to sew and have done a lot of projects so I have basic knowledge of fabrics. I was a little overwhelmed when I first started because I didn’t know anything about weaving. I’ve come so far!
Had you ever heard of AVL Looms?
Yes! We used to make parts for AVL in one of my classes at CSU, Chico and so I knew it was a small local company.
What is your favorite part about your job?
Having the freedom to work on projects my own way and to create tools to make things easier around the shops. Part of my job is to make things more efficient so if I can think of something that will make life easier on everyone, I just build it. For example, I built a much needed bench for Little Weaver production.
I have all these cool tools at my disposal so I also can come in on the weekends and build cool things like benches, chairs, tables, coat racks in my spare time. I built my family a couple of nice outdoor lounge chairs for Christmas!
So it seems like you’ve been doing a lot of traveling these days for work, and the rumor is you’d never been out of the country before working with AVL. Until a couple months ago I’d never traveled outside of the country and had just been around the U.S. My first Installation was in Manchester, England and it was my first time out of the country so I got to experience a lot of “firsts” on that trip. It was also my first time in a big city so it was a bit nerve-racking at but everything went pretty well. I’ve also been to Kansas and Dallas so far. I’m going to France this weekend and in a couple months I’m off to Scotland...all the way up into the Shetland Islands!
What’s been your favorite part about traveling so far?
It’s been cool to get a different perspective on life. Like I said, I’d never been to a big city before so it was quite a culture shock. I’m looking forward to traveling to a country where they don’t speak English. Then I’ll totally be out of my element! When I was in Kansas I lived on a farm for a week with a family who collects their own eggs for breakfast and has a herd of alpacas. I even got to help shovel Alpaca peanuts. In Dallas I went out to a country BBQ (by myself) – had dinner at a bar for the first time and got to talk to the bartender. It was my first time having a steak at a restaurant. I asked for it medium and they brought it back pretty pink but after smothering in horseradish it was good.
How do you handle the pressure being the only guy on installs? What if something goes wrong?
First of all, our customers have always been super nice and accommodating, so that helps tremendously. Then if I have questions or can’t get something to work I just cal Kim! (Kim Mitchell is AVL’s head engineer, and has been with the company for over 35 years). Kim has every loom drawing in his head so all I have to do is call him and he walks me through troubleshooting any issues. It’s really awesome to have such a knowledgeable resource!
Sounds like you’re having a fun time at AVL, but if you could do an install anywhere in the world where would it be?
New Zealand for sure! I know I’d have to take an extra week off of work so I could stay and explore.
All the photos are from Aaron's Instagram feed. You can follow along on Aaron's adventures by following him, @felinefinemeow and we often repost his photos on @avllooms.
Name: Aaron
University & Degree: Chico State / Mechanical Engineering
Favorite Movie: The Rocketeer
So Aaron, what does “Process Engineer” really mean?
I’m in charge of making sure the way we do things is the best way with respect to cost / time / quality.
Before working at AVL, did you know anything about looms?
Honestly, no. But… I know how to sew and have done a lot of projects so I have basic knowledge of fabrics. I was a little overwhelmed when I first started because I didn’t know anything about weaving. I’ve come so far!
Had you ever heard of AVL Looms?
Yes! We used to make parts for AVL in one of my classes at CSU, Chico and so I knew it was a small local company.
What is your favorite part about your job?
Having the freedom to work on projects my own way and to create tools to make things easier around the shops. Part of my job is to make things more efficient so if I can think of something that will make life easier on everyone, I just build it. For example, I built a much needed bench for Little Weaver production.
I have all these cool tools at my disposal so I also can come in on the weekends and build cool things like benches, chairs, tables, coat racks in my spare time. I built my family a couple of nice outdoor lounge chairs for Christmas!
So it seems like you’ve been doing a lot of traveling these days for work, and the rumor is you’d never been out of the country before working with AVL. Until a couple months ago I’d never traveled outside of the country and had just been around the U.S. My first Installation was in Manchester, England and it was my first time out of the country so I got to experience a lot of “firsts” on that trip. It was also my first time in a big city so it was a bit nerve-racking at but everything went pretty well. I’ve also been to Kansas and Dallas so far. I’m going to France this weekend and in a couple months I’m off to Scotland...all the way up into the Shetland Islands!
What’s been your favorite part about traveling so far?
It’s been cool to get a different perspective on life. Like I said, I’d never been to a big city before so it was quite a culture shock. I’m looking forward to traveling to a country where they don’t speak English. Then I’ll totally be out of my element! When I was in Kansas I lived on a farm for a week with a family who collects their own eggs for breakfast and has a herd of alpacas. I even got to help shovel Alpaca peanuts. In Dallas I went out to a country BBQ (by myself) – had dinner at a bar for the first time and got to talk to the bartender. It was my first time having a steak at a restaurant. I asked for it medium and they brought it back pretty pink but after smothering in horseradish it was good.
How do you handle the pressure being the only guy on installs? What if something goes wrong?
First of all, our customers have always been super nice and accommodating, so that helps tremendously. Then if I have questions or can’t get something to work I just cal Kim! (Kim Mitchell is AVL’s head engineer, and has been with the company for over 35 years). Kim has every loom drawing in his head so all I have to do is call him and he walks me through troubleshooting any issues. It’s really awesome to have such a knowledgeable resource!
Sounds like you’re having a fun time at AVL, but if you could do an install anywhere in the world where would it be?
New Zealand for sure! I know I’d have to take an extra week off of work so I could stay and explore.
All the photos are from Aaron's Instagram feed. You can follow along on Aaron's adventures by following him, @felinefinemeow and we often repost his photos on @avllooms.
Friday, February 27, 2015
AVL Workshops
Here at AVL Looms we hold workshops several times a year. Our next series of workshops will be taught be renowned weaver and teacher Jannie Taylor. AVL Workshops are about more than just weaving, it's a full weaving experience...a weavcation!
What are you waiting for?
Jannie has been weaving since the 1970s. She loves the interplay of color, structure, and fiber that are only available to the hand weaver. Jannie teaches at AVL as well as around the country for guilds and conferences. Her philosophy as a teacher is to meet each student at their own level and to help them achieve their goals in a relaxed and supportive atmosphere.
Here's what you can expect when you sign up for an AVL Workshop:
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| Learn from the best! |
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| Get hands on Experience! |
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| Get a chance to work with multiple AVL looms and accessories. |
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| Tour AVL – See how the looms are made and meet the crew! |
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| Meet new friends. |
Here's a list of our upcoming classes:
May 18-20, 2015--Maximizing Your AVL with Jannie Taylor
May 21-22, 2015--WeavePoint Tied Weaves with Jannie TaylorSept 28-30, 2015--Maximizing Your AVL with Jannie Taylor
Oct 1-2, 2015--Weavepoint for Twill with Jannie Taylor
Plan your trip today!
Friday, January 23, 2015
TEL Loom
We've just finished building our second Technical Education Loom (TEL) and are proud to say there's no other loom like it in the world. At 8.5' tall and weighing close to 900 lbs., this custom Jacquard loom does 3D weaving (up to 1/2" thick) and will be used to train workers in the aerospace industry who make parts for jet engines in planes. Its custom features include:
- Rapier system designed specifically to work with technical fibers (fiberglass and Kevlar)
- 1200 hooks with 8" weaving space (150 EPI)
- Push-button shed (no treadles, no foot pedal)
- Digital automatic warp advance
- Digital control panel
- CE mark for sale in EU countries
Who wants one?
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Swans Island: Feature & Yarn Sale
AVL Looms are used around the world by many skilled artisans. Today we're highlighting one of the many companies that use our looms to create beautiful products. Swans Island is a blanket company in Maine. They source high quality materials to make hand dyed yarn, and then weave that yarn into blankets, scarves, and shawls.
Swans Island has 4 AVL looms: two 8' rug looms, a 6' rug loom, and a 60" PDL.
Swans Island has 4 AVL looms: two 8' rug looms, a 6' rug loom, and a 60" PDL.
A rainbow of hand painted yarn.
A wall of hand woven blankets in the Swans Island showroom.
Swans Island Yarn Sale
And now we're making it easy for you to create your own beautiful hand woven items with your AVL Loom and Swans Island yarn! Get 35% off retail with the coupon code AVLYARN!
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Reducing Our Eco-Footprint
Here at AVL we're doing our best to decrease our eco-footprint. Today we're sharing some of the measures we've taken to reduce our waste.
- We've replaced all our non fluorescent lighting--it's already saved about 50% off our electricity bill!
- We've installed a cardboard shredder--this allows us to reuse boxes and scraps of cardboard into packing materials. This eliminates hundreds of pounds of cardboard from landfills each year.
- We've installed 30kw of solar panels that will eliminate our need for carbon-based electricity. To date we've saved over 2,700 lbs of CO2!
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| Solar panels on the roof at AVL Looms |
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