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Atlantis Waterjet
Services LLC
Cartersville, Ga.
phone: 770/974-3558
fax: 770/974-3568
www.atlantiswaterjet.com
e-mail:
info@atlantiswaterjet.com
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By Lisa Rummler
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When Edgar Hernandez's parents emigrated from Cuba in the early 1950s, they International Report
probably never dreamed their son would be on television. But last year,
How some leading companies
Hernandez and his company, Atlantis Waterjet Services LLC, Cartersville, Ga.,
are capitalizing on today's
were featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition".
emerging markets click here
The show's carpenter went to the custom waterjet job shop to make a sign that
said "Slow Down" for the woman whose house was being renovated. Automotive Heavy brake
drum castins create
"It was a huge part of the show," says Hernandez. "The mother said that the opportunity for unique material
house was beautiful but that sign was all she really cared about." handling system click here
The sign was made of steel, but Hernandez says the company's 12-ft.-by-6-ft.
waterjet with dual cutting heads can handle myriad materials, including stainless
steel, aluminum, plastic and glass, up to about 8 in. thick. What Else is Hot
Videos
Hernandez and his wife, Julie, are co-owners of the company, which also offers
CNC machining and turning services. Atlantis Waterjet serves a variety of Literature
industries, such as aerospace, architectural, automotive, marine, and military
and defense. Top Products
"That's what attracted me to opening a waterjet cutting business--there's
nothing typical about it," says Hernandez. "It's as diverse as you can get. We Website Showcases
can start in the morning, cutting marble tiles for an elaborate floor inlay project,
and finish the day by cutting 2-in.-thick bulletproof glass for Humvees." Events
Out of the garden, into the arena White Papers
Other projects that stand out over the company's nearly four-year history include
copper leaves for a 16-ft. faux bamboo tree a local artist made for a resort. "We
actually scanned real bamboo leaves and drew them on our CAD system, then
just nested them up on a sheet and started cutting," says Hernandez. "We cut
more than 2,000 different-shaped leaves that he assembled and put on this fake
bamboo tree."
Another unique project for Atlantis Waterjet involved a customer who had added
a basketball gymnasium to his house.
"We cut 2-ft.-tall letters out of 4.5-in.-thick limestone," says Hernandez. "The
word 'Colosseum' was mounted above the grand entrance to this basketball
gymnasium, and it was literally 4.5-in.-thick, 2-ft.-tall letters that spelled the
word."
Other jobs at Atlantis Waterjet come from OEMs, fabricators, laser shops,
machine shops, contractors and many others, according to Hernandez. "There are
people who stop by and say, 'I need this pipe cut in half,' or oddball things," he
says. "We also get a lot of walk-ins sometimes [who say], 'I heard there was a
waterjet in town. Can you do this?'"
Putting in the time
Hernandez says he and his employees are willing to do whatever they can to
accommodate these kinds of requests, as well as any other order that comes
their way.
"We have a great team that's willing to do whatever it takes to get the job
done--and get it done right," he says. "We've put in several all-nighters because
a customer was in a pinch."
Hernandez says this dedication has helped cement Atlantis Waterjet's reputation
for a high level of customer service, and it has been a boon in other ways. "I
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think we've actually gotten jobs because customers couldn't wait for the guy who
said, 'Sorry, I've got a three-week backlog,'" he says. "We may too, but if this
guy's in a pinch and we have the capability to do it, we'll work late. Sometimes,
we've had weeks where we had a to run like we're a two-shift company, but
really we're operating one really long shift and taking turns sleeping in the
conference room."
Past to future
Hernandez says that in the next five years, his vision is to expand the
architectural side of the business, which he describes as his passion.
"We cut a lot of industrial components, but what I really enjoy is the
architectural side of the business: decorative floor medallions, company logos,
architectural signage and decorative wall panels," he says. "A designer's client
might see something in a magazine or sketch something on a napkin, and our
CNC process can duplicate it out of a variety of materials, depending on the
project's budget. That's exciting."
This enthusiasm partially stems from Hernandez's decade in sales at a large
metal fabrication equipment distributor.
"About halfway into my career, they added another line of equipment that I had
never really heard of: waterjets," says Hernandez. "I thought, 'Wow, that's a
neat machine,' and I had an instant passion for it and what it could do,
especially in the decorative architectural industry. So I got a business plan
together and decided to go ahead and do it. It's been a great experience." FFJ
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