Posted by – Stephanie Carroll, Manager of Business Development & Community Relations

Earlier this year, we celebrated Encore Automation moving into their new home at 50 Corporate Drive.  During the tour, they talked about innovative technologies and robotics, but the thing that stuck out the most was the way they clean the body of a vehicle.

Our Business Assistance Team recently visited Encore.  Typically, our conversations include talent needs, challenges facing the company, and supply chain gaps.  We place great importance on sitting down with our companies to get to know them and provide them with any resources they might need.  From time to time, there is something that comes out of the meeting that just sticks with me.

With all the technology in the world, the most reliable way to achieve the level of cleanliness required prior to painting a vehicle, is to use female ostrich feathers to clean the vehicle.  Think car wash, but with rollers made of thousands of plumes of female ostrich feathers.

Ostrich feathers are perfect for picking up and holding tiny particles.  We even met the ladies who choose the feathers individually to ensure the highest quality.  This short video shows this cleaning process.

I love learning something out of the ordinary that our companies are doing and this one tops the list!