WOW Project #102 Exact JobBOSS Empowers General Metal Works Issue: Sales are declining and competitors are cutting into our business.
Vision: Implement lean and invest in cuttingedge machines and technology to reposition the company.
Results: Sales volume doubled, finished goods inventory was reduced 800%, lead times and set up times were cut in half, achieved ISO certification.
Yamazaki Initiative To Thwart Prohibited Movement of Machine Tools Florence, Ky. -- Brian Papke, president of Mazak Corporation (U.S.A) said that Yamazaki Mazak Corporation (www.mazak.com) is installing relocation detectors on all new Mazak machine tools it manufactures. The purpose of these detectors is to prevent the resale of Mazak machines to countries and businesses that are currently prohibited under the export laws of the United States and Japanese governments.
10 Best Machine Shops Here are the American Machinist 10 Best Machine Shops for 2007.
Continued Reinvestment Pays Off Forest City GearRoscoe, Ill. Number of employees - 50 2007 sales - $10 million Markets served -Oil exploration and production. Fred Young, president of Forest City Gear, didn't inherit the business from his parents, he grew into it.
Eliminate The Stall Zones Paravis Industries Inc. Auburn Hills, Mich.Number of employees - 35 2007 sales -N/A Markets served - Automotive, military land and flight systems and aerospace. Paravis Industries Inc. is the "go-to"prototype facility for its automotive customers.
Focusing On The Fundamentals Ellwood Crankshaft and Machine Hermitage, Pa www.ellwoodgroup.com Number of employees - 133 2007 sales - N/A Markets served - Reciprocating air and gas compressors; reciprocating pumps; engines for stationary power, locomotives and marine; mechanical shears; rock crushers; homogenizers and mechanical stamping presses.
Growth Through New and Old Technologies Toth Technologies Pennsauken, N.J. Number of employees - 36 2007 sales - $5 million Markets served - Communications, telecommunications, and aerospace Embracing technology has kept Toth Technologies competitive for its 59 years.
Home-Grown Brilliance Upco Inc. Claremore, Okla. Number of employees - 80 2007 sales - N/A Markets served - Oil exploration and production. When oil dropped to $10 a barrel in 1998, Upco Inc.'s business started to evaporate.
Production On Demand Symmons Industries Inc. Braintree, Mass. Number of employees - 133 2007 sales - N/A Markets served - Plumbing fixtures for new construction and replacement markets. Symmons Industries Inc. realigned its machine shop six times in the past 15 years to move from having one person running one machine to one person running as many as five machines.
Productive Competition from Within M.R.S. Machining Augusta, Wis. Number of employees - 40 2007 sales - N/A Markets served - Aerospace, power generation, gas and oil, and tooling components. Ask M.R.S. Machining whom its biggest competitor is, and the answer you'll get is M.R.S. Machining. That's because the shop constantly rethinks its business practices and internal manufacturing operations so as to always produce high-quality components delivered on time and at reasonable prices.
Shop Goes Old-School Productivity Paragon Precision Valencia, Calif. Number of employees - 39 2007 sales - $10 million Markets served - Oil exploration and production. Alan Smith and Mike Keithley do some of the most complex, 5-axis machining on the West Coast, and ignore the conventional wisdom that says you need the newest machines to do that.
The Smallest Details Yield Big Results Moser Jewel Co. Phillipsburg, N.J. Number of employees - 7 2007 sales - N/A Markets served - Aerospace, automotive, semiconductor and medical. If you look at the shop floor at Moser Jewel Co., you would almost suspect it's not a machine shop. It's home to microscopes, tweezers and magnifiers usually found in a laboratory environment.
Vertical Success Oscor Inc. Palm Harbor, Fla. Number of employees - 130 2007 sales - N/A Markets served - Medical To really compete, Oscor Inc. offers customers more than just quality components, it provides full manufacturing solutions. It does designing, prototyping, low-cost production manufacturing and mold building, and it provides assembly and packaging when necessary.
Makino 
