A shop grows in Brooklyn

Job shops often fret that machinists and other skilled workers will jump ship when competitors lure them away with increased pay. However, shops don’t have to worry as much about that scenario if their company culture fosters a respect for employees that they reciprocate. Linda Tool, a manufacturer of machined components and assemblies, is one such company.

Company President Michael DiMarino recalled how one worker informed him of another shop’s job offer with a salary that was more lucrative than Linda Tool could justifiably match. The worker also told DiMarino about his desire to eventually retire from Linda Tool. In the end, he accepted Linda Tool’s lower counteroffer.

All images courtesy A. Richter

Linda Tool President Michael DiMarino (left) and Production Manager David Holmes discuss a component with a hole about 17 diameters deep that was produced using a special drill (below) from Allied Machine & Engineering Corp. The drill allowed the company to move a previously outsourced gundrilling job to an in-house lathe.

According to DiMarino, retaining skilled workers is critical to surviving an economic downturn and thriving once the business cycle improves. Otherwise, the workers are usually no longer available and replacements are difficult, if not impossible, to find.

“Those who want to make sure the bottom line looks good and want to chop heads right away are the ones who will have difficulty restarting,” he said, noting the company hasn’t laid off a worker since 1983. “Laying off is a tragedy; firing is a necessity. If someone doesn’t fit, there’s no sense in wasting time. Machine tools are very expensive, but the people who run them are priceless.”

‘Everybody Loves Brooklyn’

Rudy Cataffo founded the company in 1952 as Linda Tool and Die Corp. but the Die portion was laid to rest over time as the operation transitioned from a tool and die shop to a manufacturer of precision machined components and assemblies for various industries, including machine building, aerospace, energy, electronics and medical. Volumes range from prototypes to a couple thousand parts.

DiMarino came on board as an employee in 1975 when the company had three employees and operated only manual machines. Understanding the value of productivity-boosting equipment, as company president he invested in CNC technology and began growing the shop, which now has about 10 times the 1975 headcount. DiMarino purchased the shop in 1988.

Although properly zoned for machining, the previous facility’s configuration in a multistoried building wasn’t conducive to Linda Tool’s evolving operations and, along with that area of Brooklyn’s gentrification, DiMarino decided to move the company to the Red Hook area of Brooklyn 9 years ago. “I chose to stay in Brooklyn because most of my staff is from Brooklyn or Staten Island,” he said.

Since the move, Linda Tool has continued to invest in machining technology and purchased at least one major piece of equipment annually, including three new Mori Seiki multitask machines, with the third one scheduled for delivery this year. This will enable the shop to continue to reap the benefits of machining parts complete in a single setup while reducing the total number of machines.

DiMarino estimates a multitask machine tool replaces two and a half conventional machines. Linda Tool also has 5-axis capability, with two machines configured for 3+2 machining, and plans to soon have simultaneous 5-axis technology for effectively machining increasingly complex part geometries.

To enhance chip evacuation and cooling of the tool/workpiece interface, Linda Tool purchases ChipBlaster 1,000-psi coolant systems, which are coupled with the ChipBlaster’s MistBlaster mist collectors. All the machines have mist collectors, DiMarino pointed out, and HEPA filtration in the return-air plenums of the air conditioning system catches what the mist collectors do not.

The technology that has been put in place allows Linda Tool to have the capability to machine a variety of materials, including alloy steels, titanium, Inconel and aluminum bronze.

The shop’s metamorphosis includes achieving ISO 9001:2008 – ANSI/ISO/ASQ Q9001-2008 and AS/EN/JISQ 9100:2009 certifications in 2009. “It’s a discipline throughout my shop that we need to maintain,” DiMarino said about the quality standards.

He added that the shop’s quality assurance manager monitors the quality-related processes for all of the jobsto determine if any “holes” exist. “We plug them up accordingly and without burdening [the jobs] with costs, because that’ll kill them,” DiMarino said, noting input is also sought from those running the jobs. “Our idea might be fine on paper, but for the guy who’s turning the wrench, it may not be feasible at all. We usually put together a good method of improvement.”

Back to School

In line with the company’s drive for continuous improvement, DiMarino participated in the inaugural Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, which was conducted in conjunction with LaGuardia Community College. The program took place during the Great Recession of 2008 to 2010, when business slowed markedly. “We were in the midst of the downturn and I needed to spice this place up with something,” he said. “We were determined not to lay off anyone.”

DiMarino explained that he applied for the program when working with the college’s Procurement Technical Assistance Center, which helps businesses market their goods and services to federal, state and local governments by simplifying the steps necessary to successfully sell to government purchasing agents. After completing the application and being interviewed by four Goldman Sachs partners, he was accepted into the program, which is geared toward effectively operating a business and managing finances.

Linda Tool’s green roof helps maintain temperature and humidity in the shop and offers a view of the cranes at the nearby former shipyard (below). The roof consists of a concrete roof deck, 2 ” Styrofoam roof insulation, root barrier mat, filtered drainage mat, coconut biodegradable mat, 6 “- to 8 “-thick Gaia Soil and native sedum plants.