Texas robotics company a step closer to incentive funding for OKC expansion plans

The Oklahoma City Council recently gave approval for an Austin, Texas-based robotics manufacturer to continue its quest to seek funding from an OKC business incentive program to expand its operations to Oklahoma City and serve both commercial and military customers more efficiently and effectively throughout the state and region, including Tinker Air Force Base.

Wilder Systems, Inc., is requesting incentive funds from OKC’s Strategic Investment Program (SIP), which is designed to provide qualifying companies with cash payments if they meet certain annual payroll or employment thresholds. Wilder Systems aims to lower costs by building its marquee product, the Agile Manufacturing Robot, locally.

Wilder Systems designed the Agile Manufacturing Robot (AMR) to automate military and commercial aircraft manufacturing tasks, which have been historically performed manually or with very expensive equipment. The robotic system can perform various tasks with little to no manpower, including washing aircraft, drilling and defastening – applications the company has been testing at Tinker since January 2022.

In addition to Oklahoma City’s proximity to Tinker and other Air Force bases, company officials said they believe OKC is at the epicenter for aircraft manufacturing, which will help them more easily serve clients in nearby aviation and aerospace hubs such as Tulsa, Okla.; Amarillo, Texas; Hot Springs, Ark.; and Wichita, Kan.

Once approved for the incentive funding, Wilder Systems would immediately begin the process of locating part of its operations in Oklahoma City, where it expects to create five to seven positions by the end of 2022 and an additional 25-30 jobs targeted for 2023. Yearly salaries will vary from $35,000 to $50,000 for technicians and $80,000 to $120,000 for senior engineers, with a focus on hiring veterans. New engineer graduates can expect to receive salaries ranging between $50,000 and $70,000 a year. Wilder Systems plans to partner with local two-year colleges and career technology centers to train and/or upskill new technicians..

“The aviation and aerospace sector is a huge economic engine in our state, especially right here in Oklahoma City where we have Tinker Air Force Base, the FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center and many large government contractors like Boeing and Northrop Grumman, not to mention many more small-to-medium sized businesses engaged in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft. The addition of Wilder Systems to our community of aviation-minded companies will undoubtedly help solidify and strengthen Oklahoma City’s position as a ‘go-to’ city for aviation manufacturing and services,” said Roy Williams, president and CEO of the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

Wilder Systems CEO Will Wilder said, “We are extremely excited to be partnering with Oklahomans to strengthen the local and regional aerospace industry with advanced manufacturing technology like the Agile Manufacturing Robot. Oklahoma has welcomed us with open arms, from first customers at Tinker, to state and local government, to early-stage investors at Plains Ventures, Cortado Ventures and Echo Investment Capital. We see a bright future in Oklahoma City.”

To learn more about Wilder Systems, visit wsrobots.com.

This story originally appeared in the August 2022 edition of the VeloCity newsletter.