My son Ari was going to Peru on an adventure vacation a month ago. I thought it would be useful for him (and me, too) if he had a person in the country who he could call as a resource in case of a problem or perhaps just to meet up with for an hour in a cafe.
I know exactly one person in Lima, Peru, Marco. We had sold a Wickman screw machine to him 10 years ago. We reconnected last year because he was looking for an INDEX CNC multi-spindle. He came to the US and looked at the one we had, but it did not meet his needs.
I found Marco’s cell phone number and called him. He cheerfully answered, and we had a pleasant conversation. I told him about my son coming to Lima, and he said he would be happy to be available for him, but coincidentally, he was coming to the US on business in a couple days looking for a boring mill.
Naturally, I asked him if he still needed a CNC multi-spindle, and he said he did. I suggested another INDEX we were selling for a client, but he said it was too old and complicated. Then I mentioned a Japanese CNC Multi-Spindle called a Shimada that we had recently taken in trade. The machine had been used in trade shows, so it had never run production. It was simpler to run than most CNC multis and much less money.
Marco was intrigued. “I’d like to look at that machine,” he said. “Can I see it running?”
The following week he came to Chicago, and after a good bit of haggling, he agreed to buy the machine.
Naturally, it wasn’t quite that simple. The machine and its IEMCA SIR integrated bar feeder were not interfacing. That had not been necessary when it was used at trade shows. So, we brought in a bar feeder expert who used to work for IEMCA. He diagnosed that the machine’s software needed to be reprogrammed. We then brought in a Shimada service person (for the second time) who fortunately was able to fix the software problem.
It was the epitome of serendipity at work. I had made a random call to the owner of a machining firm we had dealt with years before, seeking a “just in case” resource for my adult son preparing to travel down the Amazon in Peru. It ended in the sale of a beautiful machine that we had been struggling to sell for six months because of its thin market in the United States.
The used machinery business lives on networking and random connections. The excitement is in recognizing the possibilities that you could never have imagined. Selling a 2018 Haas or Citizen usually is not nearly as much fun or profitable as discovering a “sexy, ugly” piece of treasure that we can envision as more valuable than anybody else.
We gamble on equipment, knowing full well we could be totally wrong in assessing its potential value and that we may be underestimating the headaches that may accompany it.
To discover serendipity and then use it, you need to have a mindset that allows you to imagine the best possibilities.
A success like selling the Japanese CNC multi to Peru is not just luck. Serendipity plus curiosity and smarts are the heart of the used machinery business and have kept me excited about it for 50 years.
Noah and I promised Ari dinner at the best Peruvian restaurant in Chicago if we made the deal. Maybe Marco will join us.
Question: When has serendipity changed your life?
2 Comments
14 years ago I was in theprocess of getting a heart attack with a 99% blockage of my Lateral Descending Artery which is known as the Widowmaker. Being in denial, I called my friend Dr Chris Costas who I knew from a Men’s group we were both in. He recommended I come in so my wife and I shlepped 55 miles to the hospital he worked at in Evanston. He was helping a child with a leg injury so we waited for him to get a minute. He took .30 seconds to listen to my heart and told me, “ Lloyd you’re going to the Emergency Room. I’m wheeling you there my self”. I later learned that I was virtually sure to be dead in a few minutes if they couldn’t insert a stent. It was a “Hail Mary” surgery and serendipitously there was a heart surgeon available named Dr Akbar who stepped forward to make the attempt. He later told Risa he did not know how he succeeded but just pointed to the sky to say it was a gift from God. I survived the Labor Day weekend on a respirator with my whole family and friends sleeping at the hospital. Then I ubderwent a quadruple bypass, spent 10 days more on a respirator, then took a shower and two days later went home. Serendipity, luck, God who knows, but I’ll take it.
I have a similar heart serendipity story. I was driving home one day and at a certain point the freeway ends and surface streets start. I stopped and was the last car in line. Iwas driving an SRT8 Chrysler 300 my midlife “hotrod”. I was hit from behond by someone who obviously not paying attention. The car was totalled as I was hit at about 60 mph and smashed into the car in front. I only received a bruise on my arm, but decided to see my chiropractor who pronounced me in good shape. Wanteing to be totally sure I then went to see my MD. Doctor, she did an ECG and said wow, you have atrial fibrillation so off I went to a cardiologist. The cardiologist said you have AFIB but the real problem is that you have Aortic Stenosis. The up shot id that on July 7, 2017 I had open heart surgery to replace the valve and do an ablation. Here I am healthier than ever 5 years later because of the mis-fortune of getting in a serious car accident. Blessings due to serendipity!