National Inventors' Day: Gene Haas

KANNAPOLIS, North Carolina (Feb. 11, 2017) – In 1981, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed Feb. 11 National Inventors’ Day, noting that “the economic and technological preeminence which our Nation has known for many years and enjoys today is in large part due to the efforts of our inventors.” In his proclamation President Carter called on the American people to observe this day “with appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

This Feb. 11 we would like you to join us in appropriately celebrating an inventor of our own - Founder and Chairman of Haas F1 Team, Gene Haas.

In 1978, after working for three years as an industrial programmer, Haas founded Proturn Engineering, a small contract machine shop in Sun Valley, California. Haas worked side-by-side with his two employees at Proturn Engineering, machining parts for the electronics and aerospace industries. It was during that time Haas developed a fully-programmable 5C collet indexer to boost productivity in his own shop. The Haas 5C was the industry’s first device to automatically re-position parts accurately for machining by simply pressing a button, as opposed to having to reposition the material by hand – a cumbersome and time-consuming process. The machine-tool industry received the economical and reliable Haas 5C Indexer with enthusiasm, and in 1983, Haas Automation, Inc., was born. Shortly after, Haas received his first patent for the indexing device. Since then, Haas has gone on to receive six additional patents.  The full details of Haas’ first United States patent, is on the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s site.

Read more on Haas' formula for success in both business and motorsports here.