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Business of Machining

John Grimsmo of Grimsmo Knives and John Saunders of NYC CNC discuss their success, struggles, goals and more as machinists, business owners and entrepreneurs.
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Business of Machining
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Now displaying: July, 2020
Jul 31, 2020

It is so easy to overlook the aspect of marketing your business. The fact of that matter is that if you can bring the consumer as close as you can to the business, than they have a special attachment. Look at what Saunders' & Grimsmo are both doing on YouTube as an example. They are breaking down that barrier and creating a consumer attachment like no other. That is valuable no matter what type of business you run. This episode is all about the strategies of marketing yourself and business.

Jul 24, 2020

IT'S JUST A PHASE.
While Saunders and his team are busy implementing external phases of re-structuring SMW, Grimsmo's recognizing internal phases of intense creativity that eventually give way to productivity. Grimsmo and Saunders discuss their respective phases in comparison to shops that are further along in development.

Visit These Pivotal Shops Via Video Tour:

S&H Tour
Grimsmo Knives Miltera Tour
SMW Miltera Tour
MetalQuest Tour

Do the hustle! (thoughtfully)
While the word "hustle" sounds like hell on wheels, Mike from Miltera has a different type. He puts ample consideration into resource allocation--and it's not just about material, tools, or machines.


Totally Unexpected Benefits of ERP
You might think ERP is a numbers and organization game but Saunders sees something much bigger and abstract happening to the SMW team.

Grimsmo's EUMACHS---D.O.A.?
The Heidenhain control tech has come! When he opened the panel, it was WAY more than Deja Vu. Grimsmo talks plans for the twins and a plan if the plan doesn't go to plan. Next, maintenance techs are scheduled to perform the 100-point inspection.


A Touchy Subject
Saunders highlights a major drawback for hobby-grade benchtop machines like the SmartCarb, Pocket NC, and Tormach xsTech. He proposes a great way to stop touching tools off constantly.


Rasking for a Friend
Rasks are progressing slowly but they're still progressing. After feeling some burnout from the self-imposed July 1 deadline, Grimsmo's ready to outsource fixture components!


SOURCING MATERIAL #REJECT
During the phase 1 purge, Saunders finds a special blank that reminds him about how he used to source material back in the New York suburb days. Grimsmo discloses a sourcing material story you won't believe. Having up front, explicit delivery, care, and spec instructions are of utmost importance. Accepting material that doesn't meet your standards is hurting your business!

How to Source Material


SMW Pallet Jack FAIL
While googling and watching videos to find solutions is wonderful and can work, other times, it's about physically trying it out.

GK's Getting SHIFTY in here.
One of Grimsmo's employees has move on--to another department. Find out who and why on this episode of Business of Machining!

Jul 17, 2020

This podcast has always shown both sides of the business of machining. This week is no different. Saunders' & Grimsmo are both building out sweet central coolant systems. Saunders' is building out A.L.E.X which is their in house ERP system. Saunder's may have had a little bump with his swiss lathe, very veeeerrrrry slowly but everything is all good!

Jul 10, 2020

TOPICS:

  • Shop Operations
  • Shop Organization
  • Quality Control & AQL (Acceptable Quantity Limit)
  • ALEX ERP
  • Rask Progress
  • Zero-Point Fixturing 
  • Machine Probing (Eumachs, Fanuc Robodrill, DATRON Neo)

Refining Shop Operations & Organization
No longer is the conversation about product and process respectively. The Johns are now at a point where both are inextricably linked. Saunders talks shop revamp, QC, SMW custom ERP (ALEX), and DOITS (Days Off In The Shop).
It's not enough to just make parts. Having refined and dialed in processes that are simple and effective are key to long-term success.

Also, SCREW GOALS. Go for bite-size, actionable steps instead! Saunders outlines 3 phases full of small actionable tasks that will benefit the business and products. Both of these hosts have discussed lots of ideas and theories, but something's changed. The podcast may be all talk but outside of this hour confine, there's less talk, more doing.

Boiling Point

Both hosts find themselves boiling for different reasons. One has to do with QC and another has to do with A/C.  Saunders provides the best analogy for part quality during production runs: the frog in boiling water. With a shout out to Jake Yates from Yates Precision, Saunders is now combining AQL (Acceptable Quantity Limit) and an acrylic stroke of genius from Alex (the person, not the ERP system). In these sweltering temperatures, Monday can't come soon enough for the GK team!

Deadlines Come and Go
Grimsmo may not have made the July 1st deadline for having a completed Rask but the gains made weren't in vain. The deadline simulated an external driving force to keep him focused and driven. He delights in his newfound comfort with running the KERN. Not only are the pallet changers something that make him smile, he's also demanding that zero-point fixturing be used on EVERY machine.


Cut Bait?
Eumachs sat in storage for 6 months and have been in the shop for another 6 months. Grimsmo knows it's time to get service techs to inspect and repair. If push comes to shove, he may end up having to cut his losses and move forward but he remains hopeful that these will soon be dedicated foam cutting machines.

NOTHING COMPARES TO U...
This isn't about getting into someone's personal business....or is it? Eumachs lack of probing summons Saunders' experience with the Fanuc Robodrill, which has neither a spindle or tool probe (video coming soon). The workflow incorporates a Speroni Tool Presetter and Haimer, which works well but nothing---and I mean nothing compares to DATRON's VacuCard and camera-assisted probing. NOTHING.

The Future of Hand Coding
Saunders and Grimsmo ponder about the future of manufacturing. With the advents between CAM and high speed machining, it's difficult to envision a world where hand coding remains ubiquitous.

Grimsmo Holmes
GK is perusing and investigating processes to determine the lowest hanging, high yield fruit to increase production and he's sitting on a smoking gun solution that he can do immediately!

 

Jul 3, 2020

Being in a position of leadership is a tough thing to learn. John & John go in depth about not only leading people in the proper direction but to also be a good leader to yourself. Grimsmo has been holding a super tight timeline to get Rask's back online while Saunders talks "Nuking" the shop. The boys mention an article here about "The soul of a new machine" By Tracey Kidder.

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