Your Ultimate Source in Machine Shop Referrals

The Machinists strike at Boeing continues into its second week. To get a more in depth look at why the Machinist Union went on strike, please read the article at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008169753_boei... .

Our domestic, as well as global markets, are in turmoil. And yet, these Boeing machinists somehow think that a strike strengthens their ability to bulldog Boeing into an unfavorable union contract. Its no wonder why Boeing is outsourcing their work to other countries, who have people more than willing to do the 'jobs Americans don't want to do'. It would not surprise me in the least if Boeing ends up sending nearly all of their work offshore, with the exception of those government contracts that require the work to be performed domestically. If and when that does happen, the unions will have no one to blame but themselves.

This is what is wrong with unions in the United States. They've outlived their usefulness and have become a financial burden to manufacturers. Take this excerpt from an article I was reading today...

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Boeing's three-year "best and final" offer included bonuses totaling at least $5,000, raises averaging 11 percent, pension increases and a 3 percent cost-of-living adjustment — $34,000 in average pay and benefit gains per employee, according to the company. (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,416361,00.html)
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“Where do you guys all hang out?”

That was the question I was asked a few years ago by a young female recruiter for a large temporary agency. She had called on day when I wasn’t too terribly busy at my shop. Normally, I wouldn’t have had a lot of time to spend with non-business related calls but, like I said… I had a little extra time that day.

She started off the conversation by introducing herself and asking if I could help provide her some assistance in finding machinists to fill vacancies she currently had in her agency. The conversation went something like this…

Headhunter: Can you tell me, where do you guys all hang out?

Me: What do you mean?

Headhunter: I’m having a little trouble finding machinists in the area.

Its always hard to find great customer service nowadays. When I was running my own machine shop, I was always having to beat deadlines for customers who wanted their machined parts yesterday. I know, its unreasonable but that just the way it typically goes. There's an old saying in the machining world... "the most expensive tool is the one you need but don't have." That's very true when you have a job running and a special tool breaks or you're going through tooling left and right for a variety of reasons.

Manufacturing trends change over time. Our economy is constantly changing. Sometimes we’re experiencing growth, sometimes its contractions. Our ability to deal with the changing trends allows us to remain competitive as well as survive the ebbs and flows.

I belong to many forums to include political, engineering, inventors and manufacturing. In talking to people in these many varied internet settings, I'm able to acquire pertinent information related to running this referral website. Here is a link to something that may be helpful to machine shops who are looking to reduce cycle times and to increase productivity. Below is a brief run down about VoluMill, in the company's own words, as taken from their website. ( http://celeritive.com/ )

The VoluMill Advantage:

What exactly is VoluMill?

5th Axis CNC Receives 2008 Best of San Diego Award

WASHINGTON D.C., June 17, 2008 -- 5th Axis CNC has been selected for the 2008 Best of San Diego Award in the Machine Shops category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Company EVP Receives Lifetime Achievement Award in Aerospace Engineering