In the early 1980s, Trace Engineering was formed by the audio engineering team who had made Phase Linear and Spectro Acoustics high-end audio components in the 1970s and early 1980s. Trace spawned multiple manufacturers of PV equipment: Heart Interface, Xantrex, Outback, Magnum, and Midnite over the years, all located in the Arlington/Everett area north of Seattle. The world of manufacturers of battery-based inverters and related system components has long been regarded as fairly incestuous. I have long had a dream of one day visiting these manufacturers, and this was my chance. Of all of those names, three remain: Outback, Midnite and Magnum, and I was able to visit all three.
Phil Undercuffler, who I employed for 5 1/2 of the early Positive Energy years, graciously gave me a short tour of their facility. He was hamstrung by the limited time, as I arrived at nearly 5 pm, due to losing a day hitchhiking up from Portland (covered in the preceding post). Phil was also leaving the next morning on vacation. A good opportunity to see the facility anyway and check in with a respected friend
At Midnite, Robin and Bob Gudgel treated me like royalty for a day. They welcomed me to their shop and treated me both to dinner and to lunch the next morning. The photos capture some of the magic. Midnite is working on a game-changing inverter and their own wind turbine, as well as a myriad of other products.
Robin called me a rock star of the solar industry. I told him that the term made me uncomfortable, as I’d prefer to simply be though of as a good and honest man. I felt better, though, when he told me that every good installer is a rock star, as few come to visit and we’re the ones who use the products; they just make them.
In the early afternoon I got ” the dime tour” of the facility in operation. Midnite has about 55 employees, and it’s a pretty well-oiled group. It has a feeling of well-oiled chaos, though, and a certain healthy refusal to take it all too seriously. Fun is a well respected aspect of the work.
After Midnite Bobby drove me to the Magnum plant, as we had easily filled more than our share of time together. Alan Santos-Buch, the director of the Renewable Energy division at Magnum, gave me a tour of their highly organized facility, introducing me to several employees. Their plant is highly organized and well run. They have new corporate owners, though, and I picked up signs of some shared concern about new-management decisions that could negatively affect this successful, well-run company.
Phil is Director of Strategic Platforms ( or a similar title) at Outback. He began his PV career at Positive Energy, 1998-2004.
Bob is relaxing in his spacious office at Midnite’s world headquarters. He’s quite happy there. Note the toilet paper holder on the wall behind him. His office is a converted bathroom.
Midnite’s Assembly Line
