Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories – Détails, épisodes et analyse

14. A One Man Machining Army with CJ Abraham from PPD

CJ is a humble and extraordinarily capable guy. He can keep a CNC machine running literally 24/7 for 6 weeks straight without a minute of downtime. But he spins self deprecating jokes about not running a legitimate business. That’s one of the most endearing qualities about CJ. In this really interesting conversation CJ shares why he bought ProShop as a 1 person company, and how it helps keep him from hiring several people just to keep up with the high volume of work and data his company creates. His main customer calls him a One Man Machining Army, which seems like an apt description when you learn about the incredible business he runs today and the volume of parts his machines spit out on a daily basis. It’s a great lesson on how little details and systems can be stacked to produce extraordinary results!

About PPD:
We offer fully automated, 24/7 lights-out machining with the ability to finish "6-sided" milled components in a single operation from round bar. With automatic material handling, we maintain tolerances down to +/-.0002" (+/-.005mm) in a temperature-controlled environment. Our one-piece-flow process adapts to any quantity, from 10 to 10,000 pieces. Finishing includes deburring, tumbling, ultrasonic cleaning, and drying, with options for anodizing, nickel, cadmium, and gold plating. We conduct first-article and in-process inspections with advanced equipment. Through ProShop ERP, we ensure ISO9001 and AS9100 compliance, manage certifications, and track equipment calibration.

Follow CJ and PPD on Social Media:
Personal LI: /cjabraham
Company LI: /precision-product-development-llc
Website: www.ppd-llc.com

13. You’re Never Too Small for an ERP with Tom Rougeux from RX Industries

Tom is the owner of RX Industries, a precision machining company serving high-end markets from Hilton Head Island SC. In his previous job, he had been an implementer of SAP for more than 5 years, so he had the battle scars to prove that he knew what he did and didn’t want from the ERP system he’d use for the company he had just bought. After much research, he decided to invest in ProShop before the company was even open for business. And Tom firmly believes that it’s worth looking past the functionality of an ERP and whether or not those functions could be satisfactorily covered with spreadsheets at the earliest days of a company. He shares his thoughts about why a shop that wants to differentiate themselves needs to consider the right ERP in the early days.

About RX Industries:
RX Industries is the Palmetto State's first CNC shop powered by the ProShop ERP MES QMS system. We specialize in close tolerance, multi-axis CNC machining for the Space, Military and Aerospace industries.
Our CNC equipment consists of new, DMG-Mori 5-axis mills and turn/mill lathes with 9-axes of machining capability. New Tsugami Swiss machining centers with 5 axis capabilities and we have invested in palletized automatic production and robotic loading/unloading for unattended machining. RX Industries has a 2020 Zeiss CMM for Quality Control, running Calypso software. We use Esprit CAM and SolidWorks CAD. We are ITAR registered, CMMC Level 2 Compliant, We are ISO9001 Certified and AS9100 compliant and carry 06, 07 & SOT FFL licensure.

Follow Tom and RX Industries on Social Media:
Personal LI: /tomrougeux
Company LI: /rx-industries
Website: www.rxind.com
Facebook: /rxind

04. Perseverance and Transformation with Kurt Boquet at Kajan Perfection

After getting fed up with the lack of getting good data from their 3rd ERP system, Kurt discovered ProShop ERP and decided that it was the system for them. Once they overcame the fears of change and objections from some of their more senior employees, they ditched the paper and never looked back. They now feature ProShop on their building sign, business cards, and company advertisements. Amazing!! Kurt also shares their innovative solution for recruiting new employees and may other valuable insights in this episode.  Enjoy!

About Kajan Perfection:
Kajan Perfection has been in business since 1980, first starting out as a small job shop—repair shop. We are a quality oriented, family owned and operated business keenly aware of the importance of quality parts and on time deliveries. Since our founding we have grown into a quick turnaround, small quantity prototype facility with experience in most stainless, titanium, nickel alloys including Nitronic and HyMu, and many other exotic materials as well as the standard 4140/4130 and mild steel grades. We are also experienced in machining aluminum and many types of plastics. Throughout the years we have had the opportunity to build and perfect the manufacturing process for parts such as gage carriers, setting tools, various types of manifolds, flow control equipment, housings, landing nipples, flanged parts, crossover subs, and test and separation equipment. From the simplest boat anchor to the most complicated flow control devices to immaculately machined acrylic show pieces, we have over 300 years of combined experience here at Kajan Perfection and we have never turned down the challenge of a complicated part.

Follow Kurt and Kajan Perfection on Social Media:
Kurt's LI: /kurt-boquet
Company LI: /kajan-perfection-inc
Website: www.kperfection.com
FB: @9920KPI

03. From Investment Banker to Making Space Parts with Matt Lindsay from Autopilot

Matt Lindsay was an investment banker, spending lots of time in airports and different cities.  He was also an avid fly-fisherman. When he saw an article about a local fly fishing reel manufacturing company and decided to ask the company for a tour to see how the reels were made, that sparked a conversation about him buying into the business.  The existing owner, an excellent machinist and engineer, who wanted to grow the business but didn’t have the business skills, was looking for a partner to help grow the company.  Matt joined in 2018 and got bitten by the manufacturing bug.  After running the business on paper forms and spreadsheets for several years, he learned about ProShop and realized there was a better way.  Four years later, they’ve doubled in size, gotten AS9100 certified, and could not imagine living without ProShop today. It feels great to be able to support a company like Autopilot.  Enjoy this episode!

About Autopilot:
Our vision at Autopilot is to be a world class design and manufacturing company headquartered in Bozeman, Montana. From Fortune 100 companies to small innovation groups, we approach every project as a challenge that has a best-path and a best-result. We provide a broad range of design and manufacturing services to meet many specific needs and utilize both designers and machinists to ensure continuity in our process.

Follow Matt and Autopilot:
Personal LI: /matthew-lindsay
Company LI: /autopilot-inc
Website: www.autopilotdesign.com
IG: @autopilot_cnc
FB: /autopilotdesign

02. A College Course in Machine Shop Management with James Marzilli from Marzilli Machine Co.

James started his shop on a dare from his wife. For the first many years he did the best he could and grew the shop, but it was chaotic and a struggle.  Once he implemented ProShop, he describes it as getting a college level education on HOW a machine shop should actually be run.  From there, he grew Marzilli Machine 64% the next year with the same staff and machines.  And he and his wife have taken more vacation in subsequent years than in the decade before.  This is a true transformation story which we are lucky to be able to capture in person. Enjoy this episode.

About Marzilli Machine Co.:
Marzilli Machine strives to be the best machine shop in our area. We have the ability to make the complicated parts that other shops are unwilling to. We are constantly improving processes and techniques to bring our customers the best value. Our goal is to help our customers achieve their needs within their budget. Marzilli Machine will take your parts and deliver them to you complete with paint or finish that you desire.

Follow James and Marzilli Machine Co:
Personal LI: /james-marzilli
Company LI: /marzilli-machine
Website: www.marzmachine.com
FB: @Marzilli-Machine-Co
IG: @marzilli_machine_co

01. The Company that Helped Launch ProShop with Rich Olson from Sealth Aero Marine

Sealth Aero Marine is a leading supplier of aerospace hardware to the commercial and private aircraft market, since the 1950s. And, Rich Olson, their current President, has been a part of the ProShop story since before ProShop was even a product, in the late 1990s. As one of the earliest and largest customers of Pro CNC, Sealth Aero Marine (SAM) has watched the evolution of ProShop from its earliest days. When they adopted ProShop as their ERP in 2009, and went live in less than 2 weeks, that gave us huge confidence that ProShop could be impactful for other companies beyond just our own shop. This was a very full circle moment to record this first-ever episode of the Manufacturing Transformed Podcast.

About Sealth Aero Marine:
Sealth Aero Marine designs and manufactures an extensive range of Latches, Bolting Systems, Hinges and Many other Precision Components. The Original SAM Bolt system offers advantages over other conventional latching systems. Our products are widely used in multiple industries to include Aerospace (Private and Commercial), Military, Marine, and Space applications.

Follow Rich and Sealth Aero Marine:
Personal LI: /rich-olson
Company LI: /sealth-aero-marine-co
Website: www.sealth.com
FB: @SealthAero
IG: @sealthaero

12. How to Cut Metal More Often, Solo Episode with Paul Van Metre

There are a lot of roadblocks to cutting metal as much as we’d all want to in our shops.  From not having the right material on hand, to setups that take WAY too long.  In this solo episode, Paul talks about a question he was asked about how ProShop can actually help increase the value-added time of cutting chips. When companies can make a meaningful improvement in this area, it can be a powerful force for transformation. Give a listen to see if your issues made the list.

Follow Paul and ProShop ERP on Social Media:
Personal Li: /paulvanmetre
Company Li: /proshoperp
Website: www.proshoperp.com
YouTube: /ProShopERP
FB: /ProShopERP
IG: /proshoperp
X: /proshoperp

11. Building a Business Worthy of Passing to Your Children with Chad Vanderbeek from Hibshman Screw Machine Products

Chad Vanderbeek knew that the company they were running was not one he would be happy to hand off to his children if they were to take over the business one day. Things were too chaotic, information was not readily enough accessible to make the best decisions, and he felt that the company systems needed to be rebuilt.  Since choosing ProShop the company has made a significant transformation and it’s now a company that Chad would feel confident and proud to hand off to the next generation.  From getting a nearly perfect score on an Industry 4.0 assessment, eliminating all their 3-ring QMS binders, to doubling the bottom line of the company, and feeling like their team has really stepped up ownership of the results of the company, everything has gotten better since implementing ProShop ERP. This candid and authentic interview demonstrates what’s possible with a committed team and great leadership to implement the tools effectively.

About Hibshman Screw Machine Products:
Hibshman Screw Machine Products, Inc. is a major screw machine products manufacturer and supplier in the Midwest area, supported by our most important assets; knowledgeable employees, courteous service and a host of satisfied customers. It is the goal of Hibshman Screw Machine Products, Inc. to provide total customer satisfaction by continuously improving our products, quality processes, and services.

Follow Hibshman Screw Machine Products and Chad Vanderbeek on Social Media:
Chad's Personal LI: /chad-vanderbeek
Company LI: /hibshman-screw-machine-product
Website: www.hibshman.com

10. A New Breed of Precision Machining Businesses with Sean and James Cerven from Cerven Solutions

James and Sean Cerven were both a bit bored during Covid and decided to buy an inexpensive CNC machine for fun, having never run one before, and mostly seeing them on YouTube videos.  Fast forward just a few years and they have a thriving business with high-end CNC machining equipment specializing in making small parts. They share their lean journey openly on their social media channels, and they’re focusing on building the foundation of a mature enduring company ready to grow on scalable business processes.  For their young age, these guys pack an outsized amount of wisdom, grit and can-do attitude that is sure to take them far. It’s an honor to get to interview them early in their journey, and even more of an honor that they’ve chosen ProShop as a partner in their growth.

About Cerven Solutions:
Multi-axis, precision machining for Medical, Aerospace, and Tech, ITAR Registered, Powered by ProShop

Follow Cerven Solutions and Sean and James on Social Media:
Sean's Personal LI: /seankcerven
James' Personal LI: /james-cerven
Company LI: /cerven-solutions-inc
Instagram: @cervensolutions
YouTube: @cervensolutions

09. Driving Accountability & Performance with Hernan Ricaurte from Ricaurte Precision

Continuous improvement, transparency, and accountability are very important to Hernan, President and CEO of Ricaurte Precision.  Those are all values or qualities he looks to build and foster in the culture at Ricaurte Precision - a precision machining company serving the defense, commercial space, medical device and other industries out of their Orange County CA location. Focusing on those things has helped Hernan grow revenue at Ricaurte Precision by more than 3x since he took the business over from his father in 2016. Hernan describes ProShop as the “backbone” of their company, and the transformation over the past 8 years under Hernan’s leadership is nothing short of remarkable. Enjoy this insightful interview with Hernan to learn some of his secrets to success!

About Ricaurte Precision:
Ricaurte Precision Inc. has been providing a wide range of turnkey precision machining (CNC) services to FDA and Aerospace regulated clients for over 30 years (ISO 9001:2015). With a capacity of over 10,000 machining hours per month, Ricaurte Precision specializes in medium to high quantity, tight tolerance machining of metal and plastic parts.

Follow Hernan and Ricaurte Precision on Social Media:
Personal LI:/hernan-ricaurte-rpi
Company LI: /ricaurte-precision-inc.
Website: www.ricaurteprecision.com
Facebook: /ricaurteprecision
Instagram: @ricaurteprecision
YouTube: @RicaurtePrecisionInc.-RPI