Some shops measure parts in millimeters. Lange Machine and Tool measures them in tons, up to 80,000 pounds, to be exact.

But running a shop that handles massive mining and foundry components with a small batch, high-mix workflow presents a unique data challenge. For decades, Craig Lange's family business relied on paper cost cards and a custom-built Access database to keep track of it all.

It worked, but at a cost. It required nearly a full-time employee just to handle data entry, and tribal knowledge was constantly slipping through the cracks. When a job came back three years later, the team often had to "relearn" the setup from scratch.

In this episode, Craig shares how moving to ProShop ERP was the administrative equivalent of upgrading from a manual lathe to a CNC machine.

By digitizing their entire workflow, Lange Machine cut office processing time from days to just five minutes. They captured critical setup data, reducing setup times by 10%. Most impressively, when a key administrative employee retired, the new efficiencies allowed them to handle a 15% increase in growth without backfilling the position.

This is a story about how a 52-year-old family business modernized their operations to handle monster parts with precision and profitability.

Craig Lange on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-lange-83974b1a/

Lange Machine and Tool: https://www.langemachine.com/

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Most machine shop startups are defined by hustle, long hours, and organized chaos. But when Garrett Wolfford founded Elemental Design + Machinery in January 2024, he had a different blueprint: "Small headcount, high discipline".

While many owners wait years to professionalize their operations, Garrett built the foundation of a major aerospace facility for a team of just three people. He didn't wait to "grow into" systems; he implemented AS9100 certification, ITAR registration, and ProShop ERP almost immediately.

The goal was audacious: to transition from general manufacturing to critical "hard parts" for the aerospace and defense sectors. After a site visit to a major rocket manufacturing facility ignited a fire in the team, they worked backward from the customer's vendor checklist, acquiring the necessary CMM technology, Model-Based Definition (MBD) capabilities, and digital infrastructure to qualify.

The strategy paid off. In less than two years, Elemental went from an empty floor to an approved supplier for a major rocket company, securing their first six-figure purchase order shortly after certification.

This episode is a case study on why "too small" is a myth. It explores how digital manufacturing systems, rigid quality planning, and a refusal to compromise on discipline allow a small shop to compete directly with industry giants.

Garrett Wolfford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garrett-wolfford-567714311/

Elemental Design + Machinery: https://elementaldesignandmachinery.com/about/

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In this episode, I chat with Wesley Traumbauer of B&W Machine works. We examine what happens when a manufacturing business grows faster than the systems supporting it. As complexity increases, reliance on memory, informal communication, and disconnected tools creates friction that compounds daily. What once felt manageable begins to erode trust in schedules, delivery dates, and capacity, making even simple decisions heavier than they need to be.

When estimating, scheduling, purchasing, and quality exist in separate places, visibility disappears. Work-in-process grows, interruptions increase, and leadership is forced into reactive mode. The episode highlights how uncertainty, not workload, is often the real driver of stress inside a growing shop.

A central theme is the shift toward integrated systems and what that transition actually changes. Centralization doesn't eliminate problems, but it exposes them early and forces clarity. Data replaces assumptions. Accountability becomes visible. Decisions are made with confidence instead of instinct. The discussion reinforces that this shift is less about software and more about operational discipline.

Leadership and culture remain constant threads throughout. Systems only work when they are used consistently. Side spreadsheets, workarounds, and exceptions undermine trust and keep businesses stuck in chaos. Real transformation requires commitment, standardization, and a willingness to let the system surface uncomfortable truths.

The result is not slower work, but calmer work. Planning extends further into the future. Communication improves. Problems live in the system instead of in people's heads. The episode illustrates how structure creates resilience and why sustainable growth depends on visibility, process, and trust in the data. Make sure you give it a listen.

LinkedIn: Wesley Traumbauer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wesley-trumbauer-a30953324/

B&W Machine Works Inc. - https://bandwmachine.com/

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When Cody Joy joined Ferrera Tooling Company in 2020, the shop was growing rapidly but struggling with chaotic systems. Scheduling relied on a single Google Sheet, paper travelers cluttered the floor, and quality records were scattered across uncontrolled spreadsheets. Twice-weekly meetings attempted to manage priorities, but inefficiencies threatened to stall the company's expansion into aerospace and space exploration.

Ferrera's leadership recognized the need for a paperless ERP solution. After considering building their own system, they adopted ProShop, which consolidated scheduling, inventory, serial number tracking, and estimating into one integrated platform. The transition eliminated redundant spreadsheets, improved traceability, and gave machinists confidence in their instructions and materials. This confidence translated directly into speed and throughput, reducing delays and boosting productivity.

Quality assurance, once a bottleneck, was transformed. Ferrera expanded from two to eight CMM machines, while ProShop scheduled inspections and integrated static checks to reduce cycle times. Parts no longer piled up waiting for inspection, and audits became smoother, with AS9100 reviews shortened from five days to two. Auditors praised ProShop's robustness, reinforcing customer trust in Ferrera's processes.

Culturally, ProShop became the backbone of Ferrera's operations. Cody, now Director of Systems and Process Engineering, emphasized how the system fostered accountability and teamwork, replacing endless meetings and email chains with a single source of truth. Employees embraced ownership, documenting setups with photos and detailed instructions, further strengthening the company's culture of continuous improvement.

On a personal level, Cody noted that while his hours remain long due to Ferrera's growth, his stress is far more manageable. ProShop allows problems to "live in the system" rather than in his head, reducing the burden he once carried home. He believes that without ProShop, Ferrera would have reverted to chaos, unable to sustain its current scale. Instead, the company now thrives with streamlined scheduling, robust quality control, and reliable traceability.

LinkedIn: Cody - https://www.linkedin.com/in/codyjoy/

Ferrera Tooling - https://www.ferreratooling.com/

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Faircloth Machine Shop's journey is one of remarkable transformation. Founded in the late 1960s as a manual machining operation, it was modernized under David Pannell, who joined in 1994 and helped transition the shop into CNC machining. By 2017, Faircloth adopted ProShop ERP, moving away from paper records and embracing digital systems that enabled growth into aerospace manufacturing.

ProShop proved pivotal, offering built-in AS9100 compliance and integrated tools for audits, documentation, and quality management. Though the shift was a cultural shock, it allowed Faircloth to expand from 10 employees to nearly 40, with advanced CNC, Swiss, and five-axis machines producing complex aerospace assemblies. Lessons in standardization and systematization became critical as the stakes grew higher with expensive equipment, and ProShop's tooling and inspection modules helped prevent costly mistakes while streamlining operations.

The company's success has also been defined by its people. David takes pride in hiring individuals with little experience and training them into skilled machinists and leaders. Employees like Brandon grew into pivotal roles, while mentors like Brian introduced systems that improved efficiency and quality. Even during crises, such as David's near-fatal accident in 2023, the staff kept the business running seamlessly, proving the strength of both the systems and the team.

Today, Faircloth Machine Shop stands as a testament to persistence and tenacity. From humble beginnings with manual equipment and paper records, it has evolved into a certified aerospace manufacturer with advanced technology and a strong workforce. David's philosophy is simple: never give up, adapt to change, and keep building systems that support growth. With ProShop as a trusted partner and a dedicated team, Faircloth has become a thriving business that sustains livelihoods and strengthens American manufacturing.

Email: Brandon B. McKinney - [email protected].

LinkedIn: David Pannell - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pannell-62431a68/

Faircloth Machine Shop - https://fairclothmachine.com

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Some shop owners work their way up from the shop floor. Chris Basgall arrived from the opposite direction. Before buying Catamount Machine Works, he spent decades leading IT, operations, and large-scale transformation inside one of the world's biggest telecommunications companies, serving 350 million customers across continents. Then he walked away from corporate life, moved his family to Florida, and bought a 15-person machine shop with paper travelers, scattered data, and a tech stack that hadn't changed much in years.

Chris didn't choose Catamount for what it was. He chose it for what it could be. He came in with a 3, 5, and 10-year plan built around three pillars: advanced technology, smart automation, and rigorous certification. Over the next few years, that strategy became reality. Catamount migrated from clipboards to servers, from manual workflows to digital structure, from three-axis machines to three-plus-two automation cells, and from scattered documentation to ITAR-compliant, audit-ready systems. They added robots, upgraded Mastercam, implemented High QA, achieved AS9100 and CMMC 2.0 compliance, and positioned themselves for the aerospace work they knew they could win.

But the biggest shift came from adopting ProShop and building a fully interconnected architecture. Estimates flowed cleanly into parts, quotes, and work orders. Inspectors worked inside a single source of truth. FAIs became a one-click process. And the shop finally had the operational backbone it needed to support complex assemblies, dense specs, and multi-system data flow without drowning in rework or duplicate effort.

Today, Catamount runs fewer people than when Chris bought it, yet they produce more, respond faster, and scale smarter. They've added multiple aerospace customers, landed significant prototype work headed for production, and have built a foundation capable of supporting explosive growth in 2026 and beyond.

This episode isn't just about technology adoption. It's about what happens when a small shop embraces enterprise-level thinking, builds systems before scaling, and gets every person aligned behind a clear, communicated vision of the future.

LinkedIn - Chris Basgall: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbasgall/

Catamount Machine Works: https://catmw.com/

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Some shops grow fast. But very few grow fast and stay in control. Prosper-Tech is doing both, and doing it with intention.

In just two years, Andrew and Gabby Devroy have helped transform the company Andrew's parents built in a garage into a 30-person aerospace and medical machining powerhouse, all while raising three kids and navigating the complexities of a second-generation business. Their approach isn't about chasing work, it's about choosing the right work, building systems that scale, and creating a culture where data drives decisions instead of putting out fires.

When they joined Prosper-Tech, the team was running AS9100 audits and daily operations off clipboards. There was tribal knowledge everywhere, no visibility into upcoming sales, and no clear way to plan capacity. The business needed more than "working harder", it needed a backbone. Implementing ProShop became the catalyst that shifted everything: transparent workflows, cleaner scheduling, predictable margins, empowered machinists, and a level of trust with customers that translated into real growth.

In this episode, Andrew and Gabby share how they balanced succession planning with rapid expansion, how they chose the markets they wanted to dominate, why they embraced batch production, and why the tooling module became one of their biggest early wins.

They also reveal how real-time data has helped double margins, smooth out cash cycles, and make strategic equipment decisions, including the moment one machine type changed everything. This is a story about scaling thoughtfully, leading intentionally, and building a shop that's ready for the next decade, not just the next order.

LinkedIn - Andrew Devroy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielle-devroy-3332b444/

LinkedIn - Gabby Devroy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-devroy-b7920a68/

Prosper-Tech Machine & Tool: https://www.prosper-tech.net/

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Matt Bruner, co-founder of American Precision Works (APW), shares the journey of launching a modern machine shop in urban Philadelphia with his partner, John Celley. Founded in October 2024, APW was built on a "clean slate" philosophy, emphasizing automation, streamlined systems, and a people-first approach. With complementary backgrounds (John in machining and Matt in sales and operations) they aimed to create a business that could train individuals without prior machining experience, using standardized processes and advanced technology to empower their workforce.

Their urban location was a strategic choice, allowing them to tap into a younger, more diverse talent pool and stand out from suburban competitors. Matt recounts hiring Tom, a retail worker with no machining background, who quickly adapted to running a five-axis machine thanks to APW's modern systems. This hiring model, focused on potential and attitude over experience, has proven successful and even attracted seasoned professionals eager to work with cutting-edge equipment.

A cornerstone of APW's strategy is its early investment in ProShop ERP, which has helped them avoid the inefficiencies common in older shops. Drawing inspiration from Matt's father (who launched a machine shop with ERP in the 1990s with a design that was less about machines and more about systems) he set out to start a shop that solved common industry problems. APW uses ProShop to manage tooling, job costing, and quality control. Their team eliminated spreadsheets, built custom Chrome extensions for tool management, and integrated CAM data to streamline operations. These systems have enabled APW to operate efficiently and scale without excessive overhead.

Matt emphasizes that while job costing is important, his primary focus is on daily throughput and machine-level performance. ProShop's integration with financial tools like QuickBooks has exceeded expectations, allowing APW to maintain clean financials while keeping operations agile. By starting fresh and embracing modern tools, APW has built a lean, scalable business model that serves both its community and the broader manufacturing industry.

Matt reflects on the support he received from industry peers and expresses a desire to pay it forward. Though he acknowledges the challenges of starting a machine shop, he remains proud of APW's progress and optimistic about its future.

LinkedIn - Matt Bruner: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-bruner-9870257b/

American Precision Works - https://www.americanprecisionworks.com/how-we-work

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Snider Precision began as a garage-based machine shop founded by Damon Snider's father in 1978, growing organically over decades through grit, bold decisions, and a passion for machining. Damon started helping as a child, deburring parts and learning CNC operations before joining the Navy. After his father fired an unreliable crew, Damon returned to help and eventually took over the business, bringing fresh energy and a vision for modernization.

Under Damon's leadership, the shop transitioned from paper-based workflows to a fully digital system using ProShop ERP. This shift enabled better planning, streamlined operations, and empowered machinists to work independently. The implementation of AS9100 certification was a turning point, unlocking new opportunities with aerospace clients and leading to the company's largest-ever purchase order (PO), securing half of next year's revenue.

Damon emphasizes the importance of investing in quality systems, hiring the right people, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The shop now operates with a robust quality department, a clean and efficient workspace, and a forward-thinking mindset. Relationships with other local shops, like Next Intent, helped inspire the transition and reinforce the value of collaboration in the industry.

ProShop has become more than just software; it's the backbone of Snider Precision's operating system. It supports everything from inspections and work instructions to planning and quoting, allowing Damon to focus on strategic growth. The team is still expanding its use of modules like tooling management, aiming for full integration and vendor-supported inventory systems.

Snider Precision's journey reflects a generational shift in leadership, where embracing change and technology has transformed the business. With a strong foundation, a growing backlog, and family members involved in operations, Snider Precision is well-positioned for continued success and serves as an inspiring example for other shops considering similar paths.

LinkedIn - Damon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damon-snider-a657102ab/

Snider Precision - https://sniderprecision.com

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Oakdale Precision, a manufacturing company, transformed after adopting Pro Shop ERP. Previously reliant on a homegrown software system and tools like spreadsheets, whiteboards, and scattered network drives, the company faced challenges in scheduling, quality control, and tribal knowledge transfer. As the company grew, these limitations became unsustainable, prompting leadership to seek a more structured solution.

Jeff Justesen tells how the transition to Pro Shop was facilitated with onboarding across departments. Floor staff quickly adapted to basic functions like scheduling and clocking in/out, while deeper features such as operation components and part check info were gradually adopted. A phased rollout allowed Oakdale to maintain customer continuity while shifting new work orders into the new system.

One of the greatest improvements was in lead time reduction. In 2022, the average time from work order creation to shipment was 4.3 weeks; by 2024, it had dropped to 2.7 weeks. This gain was attributed to parallel processing, better scheduling, and proactive quality planning. The ability to move jobs between machines, track tooling, and communicate across departments created a more responsive operation.

The software also strengthened collaboration between office and shop floor teams. Messaging tools, process development modules, and structured feedback loops gave machinists and logistics staff a voice in continuous improvement. Employees now feel connected, and hiring has become easier thanks to the clarity Pro Shop brings to onboarding and training.

Pro Shop allowed Oakdale's management to shift focus to strategic growth. Instead of patching recurring issues, they now concentrate on market expansion, customer relationships, and long-term planning. The system's ability to capture tribal knowledge and standardize best practices has been critical in preserving expertise and preparing for generational transitions. With over 100 machines and just 65 employees, Oakdale now runs lights-out manufacturing across multiple shifts, maximizing output with minimal staffing.

Jeff credits Pro Shop with enabling their evolution from a paper-driven shop to a data-driven operation. The ERP system has become the backbone of their business, supporting everything from quoting and scheduling to inspection and training. As they continue to grow and diversify, Oakdale sees Pro Shop not just as a tool but as a strategic partner in building the future of precision manufacturing.

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-justesen-792049b6/

Email - Jeff Justesen: [email protected]

Oakdale Precision, Inc. - https://oakdaleprecision.com

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