Taking Flight

Orange County Business Journal, Aug 18-Aug 24, 2008 by Beighley, Dan

The mostly handcrafted work is hard to find experienced people for, according to Jan Wesley Refsdal, director of operations.

Many employees are former woodworkers who are used to Grafting things by hand., Sometimes they're right out of high school, he said.

"It's specialized work," Refsdal said. "We need people who can think on their feet."

The company's San Clemente location, which Refsdal said he considers remote, also has made it tough to attract workers, he said.

Cost of Materials

Soaring costs for carbon fiber, up threefold in the past few years to $50 to $70 per pound, is another challenge.

That could change as the material becomes more popular in the industry, Refsdal said.

Big projects that rely on carbon fiber, like Boeing's 787, could inspire companies to findf ways to make the material cheaper, he said.

Carbon fiber is shipped to the company and stored in a freezer to keep the epoxy, a type of resin that holds it together.

After pieces for Swift's cars and planes are stamped out using a cookie cutter-like machine, they're crafted into their designs and baked in a big oven.

Swift's most crucial work takes place in a wind tunnel that takes up most of a 15,000-square-foot building. The tunnel tests the streamlined efficiency of its cars and planes.

The company made the building and tunnel in the early 1990s with a $5 million investment.

Matsushita bought the company in 1991 from one of its founders, Alex Cross, who also was his racing trainer.

Swift's owner has a "hands-on" role with the company, working from a San Clemente office that also supports his real estate company.

He keeps a home in San Clemente and also spends time in Japan with his Pacific Marketing, which handles sponsorship arrangements for Panasonic.

In 1918, grandfather Konosuke Matsushita started Matsushita Electric, one of Japan's largest electronics makers.

In October, the company plans to change its name to Panasonic Corp.