Swarfcast

As Graff-Pinkert has gotten more into consulting machining businesses who want to sell their companies, we are constantly learning new things about what determines the value of machining firms.  Wednesday, I flew home after visiting a client we are helping sell its Swiss machining operation. On the plane, I thought back to a favorite episode [...]

The post How to Calculate the Value of a Machining Business, With John Habe IV appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

Imagine a sheet metal prototype shop that was so fast and reliable it never turned down a job if it were physically possible to complete and the customers were willing to pay the price.  My guest today, Jay Jacobs, built his former company RAPID from a team of five to over 300. Before being acquired [...]

The post A Shop that Makes Promises Like Domino’s Pizza, Jay Jacobs (Part I) EP-196 appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

Today’s podcast is the fourth episode of our season interviewing people involved in CNC Swiss machining. Our guest is Mike Reader, owner and president of Precision Plus, a CNC turning company in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Mike came into the machining business at 31 years old following a career in the fast paced finance industry. When he [...]

The post Ep. 112 Developing a World-Class CNC Turning Company with Mike Reader appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

I love this classic episode because it emphasizes how having fun with your product (or service) and feeling free to experiment with it can lead to success and happiness. Mike Taylor inquired on a Tornos GT26 Swiss lathe Graff-Pinkert had for sale. He told me that for him the machine would be like buying a [...]

The post Innovation from Playing with Machines, with Mike Taylor appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

This podcast has been going for five years now, and those people who listen to it frequently might be tired of the Graff-Pinkert ad at the beginning of the show. I was tired of it, so I finally created a new ad. For people who are listening to this show for the first time, I’m [...]

The post How to Persuade Customers to Buy Your New Product–EP 194 appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

Editor’s Note: This podcast was recorded in Spring of 2022. Tyler has now been retired for over 2 years, and Noah is the proud father of a 1 year old. In early 2022, Tyler Jarosz sent me an email to ask if Graff-Pinkert would be interested in a used little parts washer he no longer [...]

The post How a Machinist Entrepreneur Retired at 40, with Tyler Jarosz—Ep. 154 appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

On today’s podcast we continue our season talking to successful companies who produce their own products. Today’s guest is Joel Trusty, co-owner and President of Trusty-Cook, a company that manufactures a diverse group of industrial polyurethane products such as dead blow hammers and spindle liners for bar loaders. Joel says one of the keys to [...]

The post Listening to Customers and Selling Hammers with Joel Trusty – EP103 appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

Today’s guest on the podcast is Jayme Rahz, CEO of Midway Swiss Turn, a small precision machining job shop in Wooster, Ohio. Around a quarter of Midway Swiss Turn’s business is supplying the U.S. Department of Defense. While supplying the DoD can be a lucrative opportunity for a manufacturer, the work comes with some hurdles [...]

The post How a Small Manufacturer Becomes Secure Enough for the DoD, with Jayme Rahz–EP 192 appeared first on Today’s Machining World.

In November of 2015, our used machine tool company, Graff-Pinkert, bought a Schütte S32PC, mfd. 2002, in Cologne, Germany, from a dealer we didn’t know. It was a nice looking machine. A big 32mm CNC Multi-Spindle, painted red and cream because it came out of a Mercedes factory. We were excited to bring the machine [...]

The post How Unexpected Help Creates Profitable Relationships: Seeking Serendipity–EP 191 appeared first on Today’s Machining World.