Before the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Lake Eufaula, Matt Herren made a trip to the Humminbird manufacturing facility in Eufaula, Ala.
If you'd like to see a video of Matt's tour, follow this link: Humminbird Factory Tour.
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He brought his boat to spend a little time checking out the lake, and maybe add a piece of Humminbird equipment or two to his Yamaha-powered Skeeter.
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There is a tremendous amount of history at this place, let alone on Lake Eufaula.
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Just inside the doors, you get a clear look at Humminbird's objectives. To impress, and help you catch more fish.
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A large display case full of Humminbird history makes Herren pause for a moment.
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Seemingly old-school by today's standards, Herren knows you have to crawl before you walk. He's pointing at a group of Humminbird electronics he used in his early years.
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Humminbird is not only invested in the community of Eufaula, but also in the sport of competitive fishing and across the entire spectrum of fishing in general.
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Humminbird is a part of the Johnson Outdoors family, along with a bunch of other highly reputable brands. Proud American manufacturing.
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Herren is joined by Field Promotions Manager Tim Price and Humminbird's General Manager Craig Packard.
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The team enters the production floor for a full-on tour of how Humminbird gets things done.
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Humminbird Helix 7 face plates await final assembly.
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Herren stands by a stack of new Helix 7 units ready to ship out.
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Packard explains to Herren a key part to the manufacturing process. The man knows his stuff. Without a doubt!
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With the large number of products that get built in this facility, there are molds and procedures for each and every item. Here Packard explains just one of them.
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Naturally, the crew has questions, and Packard has the insight to share.
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Transducers are arranged in these holders for further assembly.
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Herren gets the scoop on some of the transducer work.
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Each of the transducers are filled with epoxy to increase durability and ensure each transducer is absolutely, 100% waterproof.
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Herren even gets in on the work.
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Here's a look at the epoxy that is injected into each transducer.
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There is lots of soldering that occurs. The folks that work at the Humminbird plant are experts, and when it comes to quality soldering, they are the best.
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Herren gets a look at a finished transducer. These specific models fit into the base of the Minn Kota trolling motors equipped with built-in Mega Side and Down Imaging.
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Another unique mold for transducer work.
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Packard explains the process in detail.
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The crew moves on.
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This section of the facility is where Humminbird Mega 360s are produced.
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Herren examines a small part of the process.
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The finished product is ready to ship.
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Herren is ready to load this pallet into his truck.
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Maybe just one will do ...
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Simply to prove he got something accomplished, Tim Price loads a finished unit onto the growing stack of 360s.
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Hey, it's hard work, but someone has to do it.
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Moving to the section of the plant where the Helix and Solix units are born, you can see some of the technology that is applied to the early stages of the process.
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Packard explains to Herren the building and testing process.
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Many tests are employed to ensure a quality product is produced at the end of the line.
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The staff at the Humminbird facility work hard to ensure a quality finished product.
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Moving from the production floor, the crew moves into the warehouse.
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Price knows this unit very well while Herren is still unsure if ice fishing is actually a thing. Price is a Minnesota native, so he has plenty of experience with this thing. Herren is awaiting an official invite to give it a try. Perhaps a future Bassmaster story?
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The Minn Kota and Humminbird compatibility is essential to the company's One-Boat Network, which allows for communication between the Minn Kota Ultrex to the graphs and all the way to the back of the boat with the Talons. Here Herren found a Minn Kota Talon in the warehouse.
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Again, Herren felt it necessary to help out the Humminbird staff while he was there.
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Moving on ...
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Here's an Ultrex that the facility keeps on-hand for testing.
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Time to take a tour of the Customer Service section of the Humminbird facility.
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But first, an explanation of quality control.
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If you have to send in a unit for repair, this is where they come. And the goal is to have each item turned around and returned to the customer in three days or less.
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After some time learning about customer service, Herren and Price move down the road about 300 yards to the R&D Facility.
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This is where all the cool, cutting-edge technology is developed.
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Led by Mark Gibson, Director of Research and Development, the team gets a rare, inside look at where new ideas are born.
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This machine is used to test how the outdoor elements affect each Humminbird unit. Extreme temperatures are implemented to see how the units react.
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A giant barrel of fun. Herren looks inside a large pool that is used for testing.
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Work in progress.
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Here's a throwback unit that Herren knows very well.
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And another.
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If the giant pool springs a leak, here's how you fix it ...
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The tour ends at Gibson's office where he has a unique mount. To get the scoop on the mount, you'll need to watch the video that was produced on the same day: Big bass mount story.
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