Minimum-Wage Software Engineers Are Building Factory Automation That Pays for Itself in 6 Months.
Inside a beverage canning plant in Petaluma, we built an automation lab by accident — and it’s working.
The Problem
High labor rates.
Tariffs.
Economic pressure.
Most companies outsource.
We automated.
The Experiment
Nine months ago, we ran an experiment:
We hired software developers as “Automation Engineer Interns.”
Minimum wage.
Factory floor immersion.
Three months.
Instead of theory — they built.
Motor mounts.
Conveyors.
Cycle and usage controllers.
Loss-prevention systems.
The devices went into production immediately.
They started saving money immediately.
The Result
Automation systems built at a fraction of market cost
Custom solutions tailored to real production pain
6-month payback guarantee
Now we’re launching BuildShift Automation to bring this model to other manufacturers.
Why This Matters
Manufacturing doesn’t need million-dollar robotics.
It needs:
Practical automation
Fast deployment
Affordable risk reduction
Engineers who understand the floor
Invitation
We’re inviting:
Bay Area builders
Engineers
Media
Industrial creators
Entrepreneurs
To see what we’re building.
Tour the lab.
Interview our interns.
Film the devices.
Challenge the model.