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  1. Z

    Material availability / lead times

    Weird times indeed. Whenever I inquire with my superiors as to why we can't get material the answer is something like "people are sick", or "they cant get drivers". Things should be looking up right now but instead it seems you always have to continually lower your expectations. I realize the...
  2. Z

    Material availability / lead times

    Yes, I know aluminum has basically doubled since 2020. I wonder if prices will come back down, or if this is "the new normal". Probably the latter. As I mentioned earlier obtaining 7075 and 7050 is becoming exceedingly difficult and we typically have big Aerospace companies who are wiling to...
  3. Z

    Material availability / lead times

    I realize this topic has frequently come up regarding the availability of raw materials, consumables, hardware, etc. However I am curious what everyone is experiencing in terms of availability and pricing of raw materials i.e. Aluminum, Steel, and other metals. I am not a shop a owner, I am...
  4. Z

    Anyone familiar with the machine shops in the Littleton Colorado area?

    I am familiar, I work at a shop in Littleton CO. We just sold one of our VF6's to a shop on the East Coast I do believe. Other than that I wish I had more valuable info for you. I just felt the urge to respond to this thread because of the title.
  5. Z

    Transitioning from Mastercam to UG NX for 5 axis work.

    I appreciate everyone's input, basically what I have read has confirmed most of what I had originally thought about NX. I must admit that after getting some seat time with it I am beginning to appreciate some of the features it has. Also after you stare at a program long enough you begin to...
  6. Z

    Transitioning from Mastercam to UG NX for 5 axis work.

    It has been a while since I have posted on PM. Anyways, here goes. I am not an owner but a Machinist at a shop that does mostly high end Aerospace work. Management has always pursued a very aggressive agenda of keeping up with the state of technology in this industry in order to keep our...
  7. Z

    caminstructor.com reviews?

    I am satisfied with it. It is pricey though for the whole package that includes certs and the ability to contact an instructor. In my case my company has offered to pick up the tab if I can get all the certs and show them to the owner. The videos are very easy to follow, and overall it covers...
  8. Z

    Workload drop off

    Steady as she goes. We are at what I like to call "cruising altitude", no shortage of work, but not buried either. Actually it is the ideal place to be as we can take on the work as it comes. This is a roughly 50 person shop specializing largely in Aerospace and Defense. I would add that we...
  9. Z

    Recommended reading material for someone interested in opening a shop.

    Bob, I will PM you. Greatly appreciated. In regards to what someone else said about the product thing, I couldn't agree more. The places I have worked at that manufactured their own product made the most money and had the highest profit margin. In fact the machining side of their businesses...
  10. Z

    Recommended reading material for someone interested in opening a shop.

    Looks like a good read. I wish it wasn't 60 bucks on Amazon.
  11. Z

    Recommended reading material for someone interested in opening a shop.

    The shops that I have seen do well have always been good at satisfying their customers needs. I have always witnessed a tug of war over things like prices, delivery, quality, and payment terms. But in the end things reach some sort of equilibrium. A good business relationship is one in which...
  12. Z

    Recommended reading material for someone interested in opening a shop.

    You are absolutely correct. When you are self employed you're customer is the boss. Having people skills is a major plus, because well ultimately you are dealing with people from all walks of life with different personalities, attitudes, expectations blah blah blah. The only appeal with self...
  13. Z

    Recommended reading material for someone interested in opening a shop.

    Hello everyone, I have always pondered the idea of opening a small job-shop machine shop. In the past it has been mere musings without any regard to the actual nuts and bolts , i.e. a business plan, equipment, space, cash flows, financing, marketing, etc. etc. These are the things that have to...
  14. Z

    Online Management Training

    Ditto to what BobW said. I have had my fair share of managers. Some good, some bad, and a few mediocre. A good manager brings out the best in people and helps them "succeed" at their job. I know that sounds cheesy and cliche buts its the truth. A good manager exudes a positive attitude that...
  15. Z

    what would you do in this Situation.

    I would say that is an apt description of the situation.
  16. Z

    How to turnaround a company and stop mass exodus, or simply how to survive one?

    Strange coincidence. What state is this company in I might know exactly what your talking about.
  17. Z

    what would you do in this Situation.

    Seattle blows in my opinion. If someone is in tech and all they care about is career and money than Seattle could be alright. My career means a lot to me but I like to have fun, Seattle is about as un-fun as it gets for a city. I ended up out here by chance, and all I have been thinking about as...
  18. Z

    what would you do in this Situation.

    I deleted what I originally posted. In retrospect posting what I did may not have been a smart move at this time. I may give an update on Monday when the dust settles. I have been considering moving to Austin Texas or back to Denver for a while now. Just curious what people have to say about...
  19. Z

    what would you do in this Situation.

    Good advice.
  20. Z

    what would you do in this Situation.

    Thread deleted.

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