The Job Shop Show

Brandon Lamoncha of Humtown Additive

How are 3D printed sand molds and cores changing the metal casting industry? Brandon Lamoncha is the Director of Additive Manufacturing at Humtown: an organization first established by Brandon's grandfather as a pattern shop in 1959 that has since grown to become the industry’s first conventional sand core and mold manufacturer to commercialize 3D sand printing. Humtown offers both conventional manufacturing (Humtown Products) and 3D printing (Humtown Additive), and they're consistently taking their knowledge of being a successful production shop to find unique ways to succeed with new technology. In this episode, Brandon shares his story of getting started in the business, how technology helps him successfully work remotely, tips for safe global shipping, the benefits of 3D printing over conventional methods, how Humtown optimizes their processes for efficiency, how they've dialed in their tolerances, and more.

To learn more, visit www.humtown.com.

 

Jesse Casto of BetterCNC

Jay sits down with Jesse Casto: owner of BetterCNC in Plano, TX. Spinning out of a legacy of machining, Jesse founded BetterCNC in 2021 on a mission to operate a new kind of machine shop; one that strives for continual improvement and never settles (hence the name "Better" CNC, and not "Best" CNC). In his conversation with Jay, Jesse shares how to get started with cash is a constraint, how he successfully uses tabbing as a machining methodology, and tons of other cool tips and tricks you may not have thought of that makes him more efficient and helps his shop grow. When it comes to the new generation of manufacturers, Jesse is leading the pack. If you're interested in learning more about continual improvement, efficiency, entrepreneurship, or innovation, you won't want to miss this. 

To learn more about BetterCNC, visit www.bettercnc.com.

 

Contact BetterCNC

1909 Platinum Street

Garland, TX 75042

972-836-8422

Mark Barglof of Kinetic Technologies

Mark Barglof is the President and owner of Kinetic Technologies, LLC: a design and fabrication shop just north of Algona, IA. After serving in the military and earning the U.S. Army Ranger Tab, Mark shifted career paths and dove into the world of manufacturing (he grew up the son of a job shop owner, so it wasn't his first rodeo). In this episode, Mark talks to Jay about what drove him to co-found SmartAg: the company that created the first commercially available aftermarket kit to turn a tractor into a fully autonomous vehicle. Mark also shares how Kinetic has evolved over the years, which technologies and people have been integral in their success, and how integrating robots and cobots can not only help drive quality and efficiency, but creative freedom and employee retention. If you're looking to learn more about entrepreneurship, Industry 4.0, and new ways to improve your shop, this episode is a must-listen.

 

Episode Links:

• Click here to see Mark's welding cobot in action
• Read Mark's article on robotic automation for Paperless Parts' blog, In the Shop

Rafal Gliwiak of Pro Fabricating

Rafal Gliwiak Owner at Pro Fabricating Machining and Welding joins us on this episode. Rafals journey embodies the entreprenurial spirit in America. He shares how he got started, obstacles to growth and how he's learning and improving everyday.

Lance Thrailkill of All Metals Fabricating

Lance Thrailkill is the third generation owner and CEO of All Metals Fabricating located outside Dallas, Texas. All Metals vision statement is serving people with excellence and a goal of becoming the most automated shop in the world.

Lance dives into all that they do for their employees and how the employees reciprocate. How it started day one with Lance's grandfather and has continued and expanded through today. Lance goes into detail how they have put into words what All Metals is all about; vision statement, purpose, core values, and how these words are embedded in the fabric of the company.

He gives details and stories on exactly what they do. If you are looking for ways to put your people first, so they then naturally put your customers first then this is a must listen.

The Pricing Series Episode 15: Seasonality in Custom Manufacturing

In this episode, Jeff and Jay revisit the theme of seasonality in custom manufacturing.  As manufacturing tends to trend busier this time of year Jeff and Jay explore strategies to use pricing to manage demand.

The Pricing Series with Nick Mosey of Moseys’​ Production Machinists

Jeff and Jay sit down with Nick Mosey of Moseys Production Machinist in Anaheim, California. Nick and Jay had a conversation a few weeks back about how to reduce accounts receivables, and after some great discussion, we agreed to have Nick come on the podcast so that some of his other questions could be captured for you.

We touch upon a  really  wide variety of topics, including how to prioritize payables, why you should always have a line of credit at a bank, even if you don't use it, and if you do, how to use it. How pricing algorithms can be designed to automatically adjust pricing for new prospects, why profits are essential for growth, and lots more.

 

Jim Fitch, Vice President of Engineering, Nu-Way Industries

James Fitch is the Vice President of Engineering at Nu-Way Industries, Inc., a leader in designing and fabricating precision metal products serving many industries worldwide. With a manufacturing career spanning five decades, James oversees Estimating, the Product Development Group, the Manufacturing Engineering Group, and the Prototype Shop from Nu-Way’s headquarters in Des Plaines, Illinois.  In this episode Jay and Jim sit down to dive deeper into his article "Six Tips for Facilitating Digital Transformation in Manufacturing" published in Paperless Parts Blog: In the Shop. Here we get a chance to riff and go deep on what is truly a passionate subject for Jim and one that he's thought about over his decades in manufacturing.

The Pricing Podcast Episode Episode 14: Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Jeff and Jay sit down and chat about how a shop might plan for 2023. Jeff shares what he has heard shops say about the previous year and how they can use this reflection to set goals and aspirations for the new year!

The Pricing Podcast Episode 13: Material Pricing

In this episode we dive in to how we see shops handling the dramatic fluctuations in material pricing. What are their strategies and how does automated quoting make them easier to implement.