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Need Shop To outsource Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA

gundog

Hot Rolled
Joined
May 31, 2004
Location
Southwest Washington USA
I am getting ready to retire and sell my small manufacturing business I make fishing boat parts. I do all the machine work in house now but finding someone who can replace me and run the business will be hard. I think it would be easier to sell the business if the parts were outsourced to vendors.

I am looking for a shop that would be interested in giving bids on making the stuff I make in house now. I machine aluminum parts and plastic parts. I have a couple companies interested in doing the plastic parts I am meeting with one tomorrow at my shop. I now need a shop to do the aluminum parts all the parts are pretty simple 2D profiles and some pockets with tapped holes. All the aluminum parts fit on my Sharp VMC 24" x 16" travel except my rail system which I have been drilling and countersinking with a CNC Router that has 125" of Y and 75" in X. I drill and countersink a hole every 12" on center this material is 6061 T6 custom extrusion in a dovetail shape 1" wide by 1/2" thick extruded lengths are 24'-1" long they are then cut in 1 foot increments 1' to 10' long most rails are 3', 4', 5', or 6' long.

I have CAD files for all the parts and I can send DXF files. I use a CAD/CAM software package designed for routers so I doubt any machine shops use the direct software but I have the ability to save files in the DXF format. I would like someone who maybe interested to come to my shop and meet with me. I am in the process of selling my home where my shop is located so if the house sells I may need this sooner than later. Part volumes are anywhere from 20 pieces to over 200 pieces. Most aluminum parts are tumbled and anodized with type 2 clear anodize. The rails described above are not anodized and sold bare mill finish with any scratches removed.

If any of this is of interest send me an email. [email protected] No offshore or out of the area companies please.
 
If I was a buyer I would want to buy it without any of your machines. Very first thing I would want to know would be your gross and real, actual net earnings and your terms. Then I'd like to know how much I actually had to know about fishing to run this business because looking at your website makes it seem like whomever was going to run it had better be able to talk fishing with the best (Honestly if I didn't get that feeling I'd probably be an interested buyer, but I know nothing about fishing).

I wouldn't care one iota about you outsourcing the parts, but I would want to see EXCELLENT documentation regarding how you make the stuff and where everything comes from.

I made the mistake of buying a product line once that came with a bunch of files for the flat patterns they outsourced. The shop that was doing the cutting had cleaned up the geometry and was making them fine, but my problem came when I went to make them in house and found just how screwed the drawings were. I had to reverse engineer the finished parts because the files were so bad. I don't know what hobby software they were made on, but it was a big unexpected headache.
 
If I was a buyer I would want to buy it without any of your machines. Very first thing I would want to know would be your gross and real, actual net earnings and your terms. Then I'd like to know how much I actually had to know about fishing to run this business because looking at your website makes it seem like whomever was going to run it had better be able to talk fishing with the best (Honestly if I didn't get that feeling I'd probably be an interested buyer, but I know nothing about fishing).

I wouldn't care one iota about you outsourcing the parts, but I would want to see EXCELLENT documentation regarding how you make the stuff and where everything comes from.

I made the mistake of buying a product line once that came with a bunch of files for the flat patterns they outsourced. The shop that was doing the cutting had cleaned up the geometry and was making them fine, but my problem came when I went to make them in house and found just how screwed the drawings were. I had to reverse engineer the finished parts because the files were so bad. I don't know what hobby software they were made on, but it was a big unexpected headache.

I agree with what you are saying and yes you definitely need to know fishing or have a sales guy who does. I started this business as a hobby to buy better tools for my machining hobby and it grew to big for just a hobby. In hindsight maybe I should have outsourced a long time ago and worked on sales and marketing.

I have about 100 different products and 2 US patents so I am making something different every day trying to keep up. I didn't start this to be a business like what it has grown into so in a way I have reverse engineered a business. I want to retire and just do prototype work on my schedule. I am not sure how to get out but I think getting outsource resources is a way to start. Many of my files are in the controls of the machines. I draw the files on my CAD system and use the features to program at the control for the VMC. The parts made on the router go straight to the machine and is the most efficient way for me. I had a guy from a plastic machining company that I outsource one part from in my shop Thursday and he did not see a problem with my drawings of the plastic parts made on the router. I exported some DXF files that are drawn in layers for easy tool pathing and sent them to him I am waiting to hear back from him on pricing of the two products I sent him.

I am willing to sell the business with or without the machines.
 
Yu'know - if the business is worthy of being sold at a decent price, it likely could be ran - somewhat detached?

Meaning - that if you sourced some, many, or all of your parts, and maybe had someone else take care of packing orders, would it still be profitable?
If yes - then it has some sale value.
AND - if yes - then maybe - since you apparently aren't about getting out of the shop or whatnot - maybe you just did that hire it out and still keep it?

Also - this could lead into your out-source to maybe buy the line eventually?


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I don't talk fish either!
Ox
 
I am looking for a shop in the greater Portland, OR / Vancouver, WA area shipping parts back and forth is not what I am looking for. Thanks to those folks who have contacted me but I do not want to deal with the logistics and extra cost / time of shipping parts back and forth and I would also like a visit at my shop to go over all the parts.

Some of the parts are made from custom extrusions 24' long before cut into blanks up to 8' long shipping this stuff would kill the products in cost.
 
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