Management

The majority of engineers I’ve worked with are solution seekers who usually go out of their way to make things easier for people working on their projects. However, as a result of the physical separation of engineering departments from machine shops, communication and feedback often suffer. Machinists who provide feedback to engineers help both groups work together more productively, and engineers would do well to spend time talking with shop personnel to determine what obstacles they face.

We’re getting lots of random requests for machined parts, and that segment of our business remains busy. One recent example was a business acquaintance of mine who contacted our shop requesting machining work. I had not seen him in a while and wasn’t up to date with his professional activities, but his parts request made it clear he was still freelancing some adventurous projects.

Value-added services shorten lead times and increase sales opportunities for parts manufacturers. The decision to bring traditionally outsourced services in-house can be an expensive and scary proposition—one with the potential to either transform a company or send it into bankruptcy. Yet that’s exactly what many manufacturing companies do, and often they are pleased with the results. That proved true for the four companies profiled in the following pages.

I generally consider myself to be a positive person. However, these past few weeks have tested my resolve. It’s not the roller-coaster daily life as a machine shop owner, but the stark reality of losing employees and friends to serious illness that’s been especially hard to take. Thankfully, illness doesn’t always mean death. 

Lately, I haven’t been hearing much about machinist apprenticeship programs. I have been hearing about vo-tech schools, as well as job shops hiring people off the street to just push buttons. Do apprenticeship programs still exist in the U.S.? The answer is “yes!” 

Every parts manufacturer, regardless of size, has some sort of training program, and programs are nearly as varied as the companies themselves. Whether it’s something as simple as handing out a pamphlet about company policy or as involved as an apprenticeship program, it’s just a given: Where there are employees, there is training. However, while some companies regard it as a necessary evil, others have found that investing in this universal necessity yields substantial benefits—and, in the long run, actually saves money.