All in Manufacturing

7 Habits of Highly Effective Machine Shops

7 Habits of Highly Effective Machine Shops

Paul Van Metre
CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

The machining industry has thousands of CNC machine shops. Many of them struggle to stay profitable and deliver on their promises, and as a result, don’t grow as fast as they want to. A small number of shops are highly effective and grow faster than the rest and go on to have amazing results. I’ve talked with thousands of machine shops around the world and seen the common themes, and of course, with our own experience growing a shop from $0 to $12M in revenue, we have a few thoughts to share today. There are many more effective habits that are also important, but here are the most important habits we’ve seen over the years.

Introducing the Younger Generation to Manufacturing

Introducing the Younger Generation to Manufacturing

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT
CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

Adapting to the worker shortage in manufacturing is difficult. Some shops may choose to search more aggressively for employees, while others might invest in technology that helps streamline the manufacturing processes. Then there are other manufacturing facilities that may buy another machine shop to gain capabilities. Those are all ways to overcome the worker shortage, but this article will focus on how to introduce manufacturing to the younger generation to help fix the worker shortage.

We Can Solve the Skilled Manufacturing Worker Shortage

We Can Solve the Skilled Manufacturing Worker Shortage

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT
Apprenticeship, CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Manufacturing, Soft Skills, Worker Shortage

Over the last 5 years, I have been observing the manufacturing industry worker shortage. The drastic change that I have seen over my 24-year career is alarming. While most industries change over time, I believe the changes that are happening to manufacturing are more than that. We are in a worker shortage crisis.

Endmills

Endmills

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT
CNC Machining, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing

An endmill is a cutting tool that is typically used in a milling machine, or a mill/turn machine. They come in various diameters and lengths, to suit the needs of the user and the application. With that, they typically come in variations with 2-flutes, 3-flutes and 4 flutes. A 2-flute and 3-flute endmill is typically used in cutting aluminum. The 4-flute version is used in milling steel. The versions with 5 to 12 flutes are used in finish cutting steel.

Communicate, Collaborate, Connect, on a Consistent Basis

Communicate, Collaborate, Connect, on a Consistent Basis

Matthew Schowalter, CMfgT
Manufacturing, Worker Shortage

If you work in the Manufacturing Industry chances are you have seen firsthand how the skilled manufacturing worker shortage affects your job. When there are more people retiring and less new people coming into the field, it can have negative effects on the industry. I have looked into the worker shortage crisis since 2015, and I came up with a phrase to help fix the shortage, “We Must Communicate, Collaborate, Connect, on a Consistent Basis”. I call it the 4-Cs of manufacturing.

What to Do When a Client Rejects Your Parts

What to Do When a Client Rejects Your Parts

Paul Van Metre
CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineer, Manufacturing Engineers, Professional Engineer, toolmaker

Your company tries SO hard to make everything perfect, but occasionally, something slips through the cracks, and you send some parts to a customer that get rejected. It’s not a fun situation, and it can be like a gut punch, depending on how expensive the mistake is. How you handle it from the customer’s perspective can make all the difference and even potentially turn a bad situation into a positive experience. Customers know that mistakes will happen, but how a vendor responds to them can put your relationship on the chopping block, or solidify your position in the partner category.

Don’t Let Tribal Knowledge Kill Your Shop

Don’t Let Tribal Knowledge Kill Your Shop

Paul Van Metre
CNC Machining, CNC Programming, Machining, Machinist, Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineer, Manufacturing Engineers

Tribal knowledge can be a killer. For a smaller, stable company not on a growth path, it probably isn’t the worst thing ever – unless you lose one of your long-term employees who is the only one that knows how to do a lot of things. Certainly for any company that is on a more dynamic path for growth, adding new customers, more employees, or is concerned about losing that knowledge of a key employee it can be a major problem. Having your companies’ processes and procedures be locked in the brains (and only the brains) of your employees can be very difficult when you lose someone.

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