KR Automation

Story by Everett Brazil, III/Staff Writer Kay County plays an important role in regional industries, from oil and gas to wind energy and a short-line railroad — the Blackwell Northern Gateway Railroad, which connects to Wellington, Kansas, and the BNSF Railway. What many may not realize, however, is that Kay County plays a behind-the-scenes role across Oklahoma, the United States and even on a global level, helping factories find needed parts for their equipment, all from a little-known shop on South First Street in Ponca City.

Kyle and Rachel Stewart are the owners of KR Automation. From their office inside the facility, they can peer out into an expansive warehouse where thousands of electrical components are sorted, cleaned and stocked, awaiting their new homes in industrial facilities around the world.

“We go into plants that close down, and we will buy the equipment,” Kyle said. “We buy the equipment, clean it up, test it and sell it to the public.”

It is truly a unique business, one that has little competition, but much more of a cooperative spirit, building relationships to keep the facilities buzzing.

“I think we provide a unique service in northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas; there are not a lot of people who do what we do,” Rachel said.

They have been in their new facility for only a few months but have been working in the industry for 10 years. As it turns out, it was already in the family.

“My stepdad does something similar. He would come in and buy the big transformers,” she said.

Kyle had another job at the time, but soon found a role in the occupation.

“(Kyle) worked as a UPS driver and once, when he was off, my dad asked if he wanted to work in the place,” she said.

That was 10 years ago, and they only see room for expansion into the future.

They began slowly in their home, increasing space to the garage and sheds as business increased.

“Our spare room was filled with equipment, and we moved to the garage and a shed,” Rachel said. “When he quit UPS, we just kind of dove into it.”

Their first warehouse was near their home in Osage County. They will soon celebrate their 10th anniversary, with the last few months in their current location. The Stewarts are in search of a variety of electrical parts, all of which keep systems operating, especially for assembly lines, which are able to operate without human guidance. Those parts include sensors, relays, transformers and variable frequency drivers, among many others.

“It’s very industrial. If you are in any assembly-line work, we’ll have the

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Now taking applications for warehouse and maintenance workers at our Ponca City Distribution Center.

We are seeking individuals who possess a desire for long-term employment in a temperature-controlled environment that is fast paced, team oriented with opportunities for advancement.

Albertsons offers excellent pay and benefits including: $2,000 Retention Bonus payable the H Medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance H Paid vacation first year! H 401K with company contribution H Production bonuses

Dale Meadows, E-Commerce Supervisor, is preparing a drive for shipment.

Nick Bocanegra, E-commerce technician, unloads incoming inventory.

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equipment that runs the assembly line,” Rachel said. “We sell the components that run the equipment on the assembly line.”

KR Automation doesn’t sell new equipment, but used parts they refurbish themselves. It starts with a phone call. When a factory or other industrial facility closes down, many times these components are sold for scrap, but the Stewarts find a new role for these parts.

“It could be a factory that is shutting down,” Rachel said. “We’ve also bought plants where they are simply shutting down lines.”

Company representatives visit the site and determine what parts and components they are interested in and turn to Bowers Logistics in Ponca City to transport them back home, where they are kept in cardboard boxes. Once the parts arrive, the real work begins for their small staff.

“When the parts come in, they go into boxes. We have four people who are responsible for cleaning the parts, taking high-quality pics and listing them for sale,” Kyle said.

KR Automation eliminates third parties by doing all the work themselves, including storage and inventory.

“We keep parts in stock for our clients, and we keep the components they use frequently on the shelf for them,” Rachel said. “We eliminate the need for them to have a big storage room. That is important when you’re talking about an industry. We’ll keep these things in stock to help keep everything from shutting down.”

There are times, however, when they may not have easy access to the parts and turn to business relationships to keep them running.

“We have a pretty good idea of what our clients need, but if we don’t keep a product they need on our shelf, then we can typically get the product for them within 24-48 hours, usually at a retail price,” Rachel said.

KR Automation maintains a few select clients for their service, mostly in the region, but most parts are sold on their website. They also take advantage of other e-commerce platforms, such as eBay, Kyle said.

Those parts will be sold far and wide. They have shipped them to all 50 states, all countries in the Western hemisphere and every continent except Antarctica, truly putting Kay County on a state, national and international level.

How the parts are shipped depends on size. Items under a pound are transported by USPS, and UPS and FedEx handle shipping of parts 1-150 pounds. Anything larger is transported through Bowers Logistics. They have seen business connections across a wide variety of industries, from lumber to food service, anything that needs some level of automated services, and have made connections with big-name businesses, like Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola and The New York Times.

Most of their clients are regional, however, with a majority of local businesses being served by the Stewarts. “The majority of our businesses are within a three-hour drive, but we do deliver around the world,”Rachel said.

Travel is a major draw to the industry.

“A lot of it is where I get to travel to the plants,” Kyle said. “I get to meet people from other parts of the country. We do jobs all over the country, where people don’t usually travel.”

The Stewarts are looking to the future, which includes a transformation of their building.

“When we bought the building, we had the whole exterior repainted. That is important to us as business owners,” Rachel said.

They are also moving in new directions, buying nonelectrical parts, such as tools and other materials. Those will only be available at their shop, not online.

“We started buying the tools, too, and are thinking about a spinoff business,” Kyle said. “It is important to have customer service. We have to continue that relationship, and we want to make sure they get up and going as soon as possible,” Rachel said.

KR Automation is located at 714 S. First St., Ponca City. For more information, including purchasing products, visit KRAutomationinc.com.

Owners Kyle and Rachel Stewart inventory in-stock items.