Moving Ain’t Easy

I was in my early 40s, my son Noah’s age. when we built the 20,000-square-foot home of our machine tool business, over 30 years ago. Now change is being forced upon us as we prepare to move within the next six months. 

Moving ain’t easy. 

As a machinery trading business we live off of change. Companies buy and sell capital equipment to accommodate change. New orders, cancellations, bankruptcies, and change of owners all force buying and selling, which means opportunity for us. 

Now, with our lease of half the building expiring five years after I sold it means a jarring period for Graff-Pinkert. I had figured when I signed our lease in August of 2019 that five years would certainly be my fill of the business. I also had hoped that the new owner would give us an opportunity to stay longer if we wanted.

But I am still active, and my associates, Noah and Rex, keep doing more and seem not to be too sick of me. The machinery business is in my blood, and I fear I would shrivel up like a tomato plant in October if I retired to watch CNN all day.

Now we spend each working day considering different homes and versions for the company, which means a new place to work and unexpected challenges and opportunities.

Machines we used to sell for $75,000 now sit for years and bring $10,000 to $25,000. It is not that they are no longer useful. Customers tell us that they make more money from running a 40-year-old screw machine than running three 5-axis CNC lathes that they paid $400,000 for. But they cannot find the operators to run and set up the old workhorses. So, rather than investing in more old mechanical multi-spindles, which requires training more potential operators or raising pay to attract more folks to the field, they repair their old machines or let them stagnate and rust.

It provides us with a bewildering dilemma as we prepare to move the residence of Graff-Pinkert. Do we want a home for the old iron that we know theoretically has value, or do we want to pursue new opportunities, making use of our 80 years of contacts and formidable brand? Should we just scrap or give away some of our least desirable machines?

Our decision, which seems to change almost daily, determines what kind of building becomes home. It is no easy call. Trusted employees’ livelihoods are affected by where we go. The old screw machines may get hot again like they did a couple of years ago. The mania over electric cars has faded, which means a more bouncy traditional auto industry.

Change in the machine tool business is constant. We can help people sell their profitable machining businesses. Helping buyers and sellers facilitate those sales is a growing niche. It does not require a big warehouse. It requires knowledge, trust, and creativity, not a tall building with a 20-ton crane.

Time is advancing. A decision is quickly being forced upon us. It is strange that as time gets short, new options keep appearing. 

By the time school starts in September, we will have moved. I wish I knew where, but I believe it will become apparent to us soon. 

Question: Have you struggled with a move? How did you resolve it? Or did you just stay put?