Articles

Buying the Bones

Two clients in the machining business. One is going up for auction soon. The other hopes to sell for $10M. Both are family businesses run by brothers. One runs mostly National Acmes, the other Davenports, Wickmans, and Brown & Sharpes.

One has well-trained operators, the other says they are quitting the business because they can’t get an operator nor setup man.

The one that is auctioning off their machines did mostly military and medical, the successful shop is almost all automotive.

STAR CNC Swiss Guru, Dave Polito—EP 169

Dave Polito is my Star CNC guru.

He’s always been there when I’ve had questions, whether I was asking about a 1999 Star SA12, or a sweet SV38R located in Asia, or the ever flummoxing Siemens control on an ECAS-20.

An Offer Too Good to Refuse

Everyday, Graff-Pinkert runs into a myriad of excuses why people won’t purchase a used machine tool from us. Maybe they don’t have the work. Maybe they don’t have the expertise to run a machine. Maybe they are not sophisticated in negotiating with buyers and suppliers. Maybe they don’t have enough money.

Knowing What Your Machines Are Up To, with Jeff Rizzie–EP 168

Do you know what is really going on with your machines? Have you actually listened to them lately?

Today’s guest on Swarfcast is Jeff Rizzie, Director of Digital Enablement at Sandvik Coromant.

Must do or Could do?

I get stressed sometimes choosing what tasks to prioritize in my day.

Tough For Ford

I wish I hadn’t bought the story.

Ford, the pickup truck gorilla, was going to take over the electric pick up market which was going to crush the gas and diesel portion over the next few years.

Ford knows the pickup business like nobody else. The Japanese and Koreans know new cars, but trucks are a mystery for them. The Germans can spell BMW, but for hauling a boat or a jalopy, “nein.”

Machining in Mexico, with Rogério Mezadri–EP 167

Our guest on the podcast today is Rogério Mezadri, Director of SAMOT Mexico, a 200-employee automotive machining company in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Rogério and I discussed the challenges running a machining company in Mexico. We talked about Mexican manufacturers upgrading technology. We also talked about the difficulty to find enough skilled manufacturing workers in Mexico. Yes, they have that problem too.

Valuing a Business

When does a theoretical value become really valuable?

When do you decide to buy or sell a business, particularly a precision machining business? How do you assess its value? How do you determine whether a business is a collection of machinery, tooling, and real estate, or if it is something of significantly more monetary value?

Manufacturing Rockets in College, with Anirudh Pal and Xander Wells—EP 166

At IMTS 2022, I stumbled upon a booth with an impressive 28 foot rocket on display, constructed by students from the Purdue University Bechtel Innovation Design Center.

Anirudh Pal, an operations manager at Bechtel, and Xander Wells, an undergraduate teaching assistant at Bechtel, told me the story behind the rocket’s creation when I interviewed them for today’s podcast.

Manufacturing Recession?

In the financial world of banks and funds, stupid follows stupid, which then follows stupid.

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