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Garmin: Into the Layers

Like most OEMs, Garmin embodies its product development in a "skunk works" of sorts, but few avionics manufacturers are as vertically integrated—from concept to fulfillment—under one roof.

[Illustration by Carlo Stagna]
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • Garmin's Olathe facility demonstrates extensive vertical integration, encompassing research and development, advanced manufacturing (combining human and robotic labor), comprehensive in-house testing, and global distribution of its aviation products.
  • The company employs rigorous quality assurance, including electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), vibration, destructive, and human factors testing, to ensure products withstand harsh environments and perform reliably.
  • Garmin is committed to continuous innovation and expanding flight safety, evident in its development of features like Autoland and new pilot assistance systems such as Smart Rudder Bias and Smart Glide.
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For someone accustomed to the sounds and vibrations of an aircraft factory, the quiet hum feels nearly imperceptible at first. The industry surrounding you takes place in vignettes, where one person sits in front of an autoclave, another pirouettes fingers around an electrical board, and still another checks the tiniest bits of solder as they line up in place.

And robots join human hands. One twists around an assembly, articulating in Muppet-like motions. Another tests the next assembly by dunking it over and over into a bath—be it electrolyte or another kind of liquid: water. A third traverses the floor taking one basket to another point on the assembly line.

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