bytored,
I don't think he should just go buy a Citizen. I don't think he should buy the Tsugami or Tornos either.
If John has been given the task of picking the machine, then he has a fiduciary responsibility to the company to pick the best machine for the job. Without seeing the parts he needs to machine, it's really impossible to say what machine would be best.
He should at the bare minimum have 3-5 quotes from different builders. If I were him, I would have each builder perform an application review on the parts. He should provide drawings, lot sizes, annual quantities, and what options he would like the machine to have. ie. part conveyor, chip conveyor, bar loader, etc...
He should also have written expectations for machine acceptance. Will he require a turnkey and an SPC run off on some number of parts? The builder needs to know that so it can be quoted. A run off is cheap insurance that you'll be getting what you paid for.
Salesman can make all sorts of empty promises. Putting machine acceptance criteria on your contract to purchase the machine, eliminates all of the bull****.
John should ask them to provide cycle estimates, set up time estimates, and to provide a summary quote with all the options required to machine his parts completely.
I would also look at how long it takes each builder to get my answers for me. It's a good indication of the support you'll be getting down the road.
Next I would pick the top two or three machines and arrange to go see them at the builder or the dealer. I would also ask for them to arrange a visit to an end user.
If it sounds like a lot of work for John that's because it is. But he'll be spending in the ball park of $300 grand when all is said and done. That work is cheap insurance IMO.
John really has been given a lot of responsibility IMO. He should be proud that his company thinks that highly of him. He should also make the guys selling the equipment do a little work and stand behind what they are selling. Now is not a good time to be shy. It's a good time to be a pr**k.
He is better off paying a little extra to have it hit the floor running a capable process too. The machine payments will start right away, so the machine had better produce right away.
My $.02 FWIW.