Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] South Bend

Matt Shaver wrote:

> 2.
> a. Keep the roll grinder custimers happy by filling their orders, and
> providing service & parts.
> b. Cut production costs, if possible, and improve the roll grinder's
> software. I've worked on a few of these machines and the ones I've seen were
> very primitive as far as the user interface goes. Roll grinding is a service
> business and they'll always be a need for the machines (and rebuilds, and
> retrofits...) Turn SBL's roll grinder division into RollGrinders-R-Us if the
> market is there.

Some of this could be made offshore to cut costs and stay competitive, but
you'd have to warn the suppliers that the very fist load of poor quality parts
and they will be looking for a new customer, and then dedicate a QC team
to keep them honest.

> 3. Be nice to the hobby shop guys who call :). Many of them work in
> industry... Investigate the possibility of getting a few of the old timers
> (even the retirees) to work a few hours a week at sorting out spare parts
> requests. Get the spare parts out at a small profit, don't gouge! Webify the
> documentation, including _How to Run a Lathe_ and make it available for free
> download. Why upset your customers by charging them $25 for a parts list so
> they can find out what to order!!! In short, discover real customer service.
> Use Sherline as your model...

Or Clausing. They don't have all parts of obsolete machines available, but
they do have stock on the most common wear items (bushings and half-nuts,
for example) at very reasonable prices, especially compared to repair parts
for other lathes.

> 4. Unless there is a huge financial reason, sell off all product lines except
> lathes (and roll grinders). Who buys a Bridgeport lathe for crying out
> loud!!! The same could be said of Southbend mills... While we're at it, stop
> reselling import machines. We'll probably have to use some import parts, but
> at least don't be blatant about it!

Umm, We did! You'd pry that Bridgeport-Romi "Ez-Trak" lathe only from their
cold, dead hands, too! The only thing it doesn't have is variable spindle speed,
but the rest of the lathes in the shop, including the 2 Hardinges, sit idle VERY
much of the time, now that the Bridgeport is there. The Bridgeport is the ONLY
CNC lathe they have, so that is much of the reason.

> 5. Buy the d#%& building (with the money from #4 above), don't rent! Get
> South Bend to forgive the taxes in exchange for keeping the jobs and
> community image (they'll do it, I'd bet on it). Negotiate with BankOne to
> restructure the debt (Hint - They'll lose big if the company folds. Nothing
> is as worthless as a bunch of old parts in a warehouse).

Startups can really benefit from renting, during times of uncertain futures and
potential rapid growth. A 100+ year old company that is renting should have
their auditors and CFOs taken out and shot! Of course the town and county
would do it, they aren't going to get the taxes paid if SBL goes down the tubes.

> 6. After all this house cleaning, it's time to fix the core business (I know
> some of you can see this coming...). Open source the CNC lathe software &
> hardware. Send out complete schematics, theory of operation, controller
> source code, etc. Explain to your new customers how much money they'll save
> becase the machine will be maintainable indefinitely. Give out free software
> upgrades. If necessary, get someone like Eric Raymand to help write up
> materials that communicate these benefits clearly, contrasting them with the
> status quo. Most customers will still buy factory parts and service! But,
> they'll buy the machine in the first place because of the warm comfortable
> feeling of security they'll have from knowing they won't be held hostage
> later over spare parts...

Yes, no, maybe. I don't think a lot of companies want to do their own CNC
maintenance at the chip level. They might jump at the opportunity to have
plant maintenance personnel swap plug-in modules, just like they already
swap temperature controllers, VFDs and similar blocks in the plant's own
systems. Some of this documentation can be VERY expensive to create
and maintain - If they already have it internally, though, realeasing it sounds
good. Yes, I could maintain an Allen-bradley 7320 control (40+ PC boards
in an 8 x 8' rack full of card cages) on a component basis out through the
next century, probably, except the connectors are already completely worn
out. Now that PC motherboards are part of most of the controls, these things
will be hard to replace after a while. Where would you go to find a 386
motherboard in 10 years. (My basement is already out - I threw them all
away last year!)

> 7. I'm just dying to try this out. I'd hoped it would be with Bridgeport, but
> that's not going to happen. Wells-Index would be another good candidate,
> maybe even Hardinge.

Yeah? How about DeVlieg-Bullard? If you want nice machines, these are
REALLY nice! They may be next! They have manuals for the Sheldon lathes,
sort of, but it seems not much else for that line they picked up in the fire
sales a few decades ago.

Jon