Our guest on today’s podcast is Joe Bennett, Vice President of Sales at Seaway Bolt and Specials, a privately held cold heading company in Columbia Station, Ohio, founded in 1957. In the cold heading process, coiled steel is cut into slugs, which are then hit multiple times, ultimately pounding them into a desired shape. The cold heading process is capable of producing several hundred pieces per minute. Some cold-headed products are net shaped blanks that are shipped to machining companies who then finish the parts. Scroll down to read more and listen to the podcast. Or listen on your phone…
Author: Noah Graff
A few months ago, I was up past midnight recording a solo podcast. I was feeling tired and frustrated that it had taken me so long—longer than it “should have.” Then I paused. I looked at myself on the webcam with my cool microphone and my headphones, and I thought, “This is what I want to be doing.” This is what I get to do, so I should pause for a minute and enjoy this moment. This is fun creative work I’m proud of. This is making something that might have a positive impact on someone. I do gratitude lists…
Malachi Greb, my guest on today’s show, has a mission, “freeing humans, one robot at a time.” He is the founder of Elite Automation, a company that designs automated systems for manufacturing clients, taking manual processes and automating them with robotics, conveyors, vision, and more. They also provide robotic welding systems. Malachi and I talked about some of the latest technologies in the robotics field. Malachi also hosts the Manufacturing Come Up Podcast. We discussed his career journey, from dropping out of high school on purpose to founding his own company in his 20s, which has grown to 27 employees…
When you’re shopping for machines do you find yourself wondering if the more expensive option for a machine is the better one? Does a taiwanese brand perform worse than a German brand? Will one machine last longer than another? Are some machines pretty similar between certain brands? The truth is, paying more money for a machine tool does not always translate to better user experience or greater productivity. Machining and life are more interesting than that! Our guest on today’s podcast is Justin Tauber, co-owner and Vice President of Integrated Machinery Systems (IMS), a machine tool distributor in Itasca, Illinois. …
The last year and a half, I’ve been a rookie family man. I’m trying to balance selling sexy-ugly iron, podcasting, and being a good dad and husband. I’m a distractible person with mild ADHD. I like to have fun, get out of the house, and I sometimes have trouble pulling myself away from the TV. Four years ago, I read the book, The Art of Less Doing: One Entrepreneur’s Formula for a Beautiful Life, by Ari Meisel. The book had a significant impact on my life, particularly for how I do work. I’m far from having the majority of my…
Today’s guest on the show is Paul Huber, CEO of COMEX, in Monroe Connecticut. Paul is a machinery dealer specializing in cam Swiss automatics. That’s cam Swiss, not CNC. I’m talking about Bechlers, Stroms and Escomatics, not Citizens. Paul is 84, but proudly says feels like he is 60 as he raises his 17-year-old son. He has been working on screw machines for over 67 years, starting as an apprentice in Switzerland. Early in his career, Paul worked as a technician for European screw machine builders. Later, he ran his own production shop in the US. Then he became a…
In college, one of my favorite elective classes was bowling—I took it twice. Maybe you poo poo the idea of taking bowling at an expensive institution like the University of Wisconsin, but that was the class where I learned about the powerful science of “pin action.” To the bowling novices out there, do you ever wonder why the good bowlers throw those huge curve balls down the lane, rather than just throwing it straight down the middle? Pin action. When the ball comes in with that sidespin from the perfect angle into the pocket you get the best potential for…
How do you know what to charge for your product? How do you negotiate with customers and leave the least money on the table? And not just for one transaction but for the long run? On today’s episode, Part II of our interview with Jay Jacobs, we discuss strategies that you can use the next time you ask yourself, “What should I charge for my manufactured parts?” Jay’s former company, RAPID Manufacturing, grew at an average rate of 32% annually from 2010 to 2017, and one of the key reasons for the growth were his strategies to price parts. Jay also…
As Graff-Pinkert has gotten more into consulting machining businesses who want to sell their companies, we are constantly learning new things about what determines the value of machining firms. Wednesday, I flew home after visiting a client we are helping sell its Swiss machining operation. On the plane, I thought back to a favorite episode of Swarfcast in which we interviewed John Habe IV, who has grown his machining company Metalseal significantly by way of acquisition the past few years. In the interview, John discusses the difficulty in buying companies, which often have emotionally attached owners. It’s often the only…
Imagine a sheet metal prototype shop that was so fast and reliable it never turned down a job if it were physically possible to complete and the customers were willing to pay the price. My guest today, Jay Jacobs, built his former company RAPID from a team of five to over 300. Before being acquired by a publicly traded company for a price he couldn’t refuse, RAPID was manufacturing over 30,000 unique part numbers annually, 24-7-365 days a year. Then Jay co-founded Paperless Parts, a cloud based estimating and quoting software platform. On today’s show, Jay is going to tell…