YAKIMA, Wash. — Light aircraft designer and manufacturer CubCrafters reports that, as of Dec. 31, it delivered 58 new airplanes during calendar 2012, a 23% increase over 2011, and more units than any year in the company’s history.
CubCrafters’ 2012 deliveries are spread across three models: Carbon Cub SS (pictured), Sport Cub S2, and Top Cub. In addition to these ready-to-fly planes, the company has also shipped 24 of its Carbon Cub EX kits in 2012, another record.
The increase in deliveries required a commensurate increase in production. The company invested in a major expansion of its FAA-certified manufacturing facility, adding a 15,000 square foot weld and CNC machine shop during the year, officials note. The move allowed expanded research and development resources and a larger parts department.
“We’ve come a long way during the past few years,” says Randy Lervold, CubCrafters General Manager. “Despite the economic climate, we’ve managed to defy industry trends and set CubCrafters on a growth path. There’s certainly more work to be done, but we already expect to increase deliveries in 2013 to 66 aircraft.”
“We’ve tried to manage our growth carefully,” added CubCrafters President Jim Richmond. “The market’s overwhelming reception of our Carbon Cub SS tempted us to add space and people quickly. Instead, we bumped production incrementally by increasing process efficiencies as much as possible. New orders continued to outpace capacity though, and our delivery backlog continued to extend further out. That’s when we made the decision to add the new weld and machine shop.”
CubCrafters continues to receive orders for its three models at a brisk pace. As of this date, the company is now booked well into 2013, officials report.
For more information: CubCrafters.com
