How many times has something happened to you that really sucked but then eventually turned out to be a good thing or even a great thing that happened for you? Today, I’m going to tell you a story about when a big machinery deal went to hell and then how its failure led to an amazing turn of events—a way better result than if things had gone the way they were supposed to go. You know. Serendipity. We’re going to explore how good things can come out of bad things, so the next time when something seemingly bad happens to…
Author: Noah Graff
Recently, we have seen a growing number of mergers and acquisitions in the manufacturing space. After these deals are finalized there’s a lot of uncertainty for the employees caught in the middle of reorganization. Our guest on the podcast today is Jennifer Fondrevay. Jennifer is a best selling author and the Founder of Day1 Ready, a consultancy that advises companies on how to prepare for challenges that result from changes in the workplace. This interview will be helpful for anybody dealing uncertainty in their work environment. You can also view the podcast in video form on our YouTube Channel. …
At Graff-Pinkert, I’ve sold a lot of machine tools to successful entrepreneurs, including my guest on today’s show, Roger Duffy, owner of F&F Machine Products. But, just a few people like him really have stood out for their outward ballsiness in business. Roger says he loves being an entrepreneur because it allows him to take risks, to dive into the unknown, whether that means trying entirely new equipment or even starting new types of manufacturing businesses of which he has no previous experience. Today’s episode is the first of a two part interview in which we will talk about how…
As the housing market has slowed recently in our current economy, alternative types of construction such as 3D printing with concrete have become more and more relevant. It brought me back to a classic podcast episode we did a while back. The technology has advanced since we recorded this episode in 2019, but still you will be wowed. ******** Our guest on today’s Swarfcast is Jonathan Ladouceur, head of engineering at Twente Additive Manufacturing, a company specializing in architectural 3D printing. We met Jonathan last week when his company bought an ABB IRB 6700 track mounted robot from Graff-Pinkert. Rather…
Happy New Year everybody! On today’s podcast, Lloyd Graff and I reflect on the ups and downs of machining world in 2023 and give our thoughts about what we might see 2024. As you would expect, we discuss a number of topics in addition to precision machining, such as the US’s unpredictable economy, anti-semitism, and my intention to bite off more than I think I can chew and then figure out how to it chew later. Listen on your favorite podcast app using pod.link, or: …
We originally published this episode in 2019. It was a better time in Israel’s history, before the country was savagely provoked to go to war to protect its existance. Israel is a country full of industry and world class innovative companies, such as the manufacturing company Ditron Precision. This interview contains insight on how Israel is so important to the world’s metal working industry as well as why the Jewish People need it as a Jewish Homeland. View the podcast our YouTube Channel. Listen on your favorite podcast app using pod.link, or: …
Today I’m debuting a new episode series under the Swarfcast umbrella that I’m going to put out every so often. From April 19, 2018, until April, 19, 2019, I spent an entire year meeting at least one stranger every day and documented everyone I met. Some days I met 10 people, other days I was lucky to have a short conversation with one person. After a few months, I decided I would write about the experience and create mini podcast episodes about the people I met. And five years later, I’m FINALLY getting around to doing the podcast. I call…
Have you considered whether your business is salable? My guest on today’s podcast says only a small fraction of companies have built an organization and leadership structure that makes them attractive to buyers. Damon Pistulka is founder of Exit Your Way, a firm that helps businesses sell their companies. What’s unique about Exit Your Way is that before it tries to sell a business, it helps the business’s owner increase their company’s value, often working with clients for three to five years. Then the company can net a much higher sale price and have a higher probability of actually completing…
A Bad Deal Wednesday, Graff-Pinkert hopefully finally buried a turd of a Swiss screw machine. You probably saw it over the years in our advertisements—a Tsugami B0205 II, Mfd. 2014, that we bought in an online auction for about $45K. The great investor, Charlie Munger, who died last week at 99, famously said, “If you mix raisins with turds, you still have turds.” Graff-Pinkert better have a lot more raisins in its stock to cancel out turds like this Tsugami. The biggest problem with the machine was that it was configured only to run blanked parts—not bar stock. We figured…