Josh Hacko is a fourth generation watchmaker. He says he was born into his vocation, but in reality his work is truly his own. 

Josh is Technical Director of two sister companies, NH Micro and Nicholas Hacko Watchmaker, which manufactures high-end wrist watches in Sydney, Australia, that can cost tens of thousands of dollars. 

The company can manufacture up to 85% of a wristwatch’s components in-house, including the watch’s movement, a feat that only a handful of independent watchmakers around the world have accomplished.

With his team, Josh engineers and machines his watches’ components, and he and his dad come up with the watches’ designs.

If you love a story about business, technology, design, and serendipity, this episode is for you!

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The Origin of Nicholas Hacko Watchmaker

Josh’s grandfather and great grandfather were watch repairmen in former Yugoslavia. In 1994, Josh’s father, Nicholas, also a trained watch repairman, emigrated to Australia, fleeing the war in his home country. In Australia, Nicholas did watch repair and became a dealer of secondhand high grade Swiss mechanical watches, which the company still sells today.

In 2011, the world’s Swiss watch market was turned upside down. All of the Swiss watch companies, such as Richemont Group, Swatch, and Rolex formed a cartel, restricting the supply of spare parts to independent watchmakers around the world. Overnight, spare parts became unavailable to any independent watch repair person.

Josh says this was the equivalent of a Ford dealership mechanic being unable to source spark plugs, windshield wipers, or tires. 

Nicholas asked the Swiss watch companies if he could send Josh to Switzerland to be trained as a watch repairman in order to then gain the right to buy watch parts, but the companies all rejected the idea, saying that “no Australian could be capable of properly repairing Swiss watches.”

This event inspired a crazy dream for Nicholas—building a watch from scratch in Australia. It was something that had never been done before.

At first, Nicholas believed a super machine existed that was capable of making all the components for a wristwatch, but he soon realized that was a fantasy.

Nicholas Hacko Watchmaker started its new wristwatch business, selling wristwatches that were designed, assembled, and adjusted in Australia, but made from parts produced overseas. 

NHW MKII “Curl Curl” from Nicholas Hacko Watchmaker

In 2016, Nicholas and Josh embarked on a quest to manufacture the first watch from scratch in Australia, which they accomplished in 2019 with their NH1 series. Josh says the reason that the company produces only 85% of the watch rather than 100%, is that the rest of the necessary components are commodity parts that are better quality and cheaper to purchase off the shelf, such as springs and jewels. He says that nobody else in Australia is producing the movement of the watch (the back end mechanisms) like his company and probably only five independent watchmakers in North America have similar capability. 

The interview has a lot of great moments. Josh talks about buying a Citizen r04 off the floor of a trade show in Stuttgart. Neither he nor his father had ever operated a Swiss machine before, and they didn’t realize at the time there was no substantial support for the machine in Australia. They had to teach themselves.

Josh talks about his passion for designing the watches, a task which the company has never outsourced. He came up with the design of the company’s Mark II model by observing the mosaic on a table at a restaurant on a beach front while at dinner with his wife. 

He says he has grown over time to imagine design more freely, rather than approaching it solely in a “functional way” that revolves only around engineering. 

Josh’s passion for his work, both the technical machining processes and designing are contagious in his presence. He says he has “never worked a day in his life” and he is grateful to be “born into this world of watchmaking.” He says he fell into his professional life, but I disagree. I say he created it.

Question: If you wear a wristwatch, why do you wear it?

On today’s show I’m bringing back  one of my favorite past guests on the podcast—Damon Pistulka.

The first time Damon was on the show he talked about his company Exit Your Way, which helps businesses level up for successful acquisitions.

Today he is going to talk about his other venture, B2BTail, which advises small manufacturing companies to improve their online visibility to potential buyers.

Damon says that a significant portion of today’s manufacturing buyers belong to Gen Z.

And the most effective way to connect with them is through YouTube and social media videos that showcase your company’s work and humanize your business.

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Interview Highlights

From Thomas Register to Digital Marketing

With nearly 40 years of manufacturing sales experience, Damon offers a unique perspective on how the industry has transformed. In the early 1990s, sales professionals, like himself, in the manufacturing field relied heavily on the Thomas Register directory to find potential clients. The process involved cold calling from phone books, setting appointments, and extensive in-person networking.

By the early 2000s, rudimentary websites appeared, serving primarily as digital billboards. Email began changing communication patterns, but sales still depended heavily on trade shows, industry associations, and face-to-face meetings.

By 2010, digital transformation was in full swing, dramatically altering buyer expectations and behavior.

Today’s Manufacturing Buyers

Today’s purchasing agents often come from a generation raised on Amazon and instant digital gratification. Many are under 30 and prefer conducting research online rather than through phone calls or meetings. They’re frequently generalists responsible for buying everything from hydraulic hoses to CNC parts without specialized manufacturing knowledge.

“They want to be able to do a lot more research,” Damon explains. “When they’re figuring out what TV to buy at home, they can look at 17 different options on Amazon. They want to do that at work too.”

Digital Foundation for Manufacturers

Damon recommends manufacturing companies establish a focused digital presence:

1. Define your specialty: “Don’t try to talk to everyone or make it look like you can build anything for anyone,” Damon advises. Specialization helps buyers quickly determine if you’re the right fit.
2. Build a functional website: It doesn’t need to be fancy, but should clearly explain what you do, why you’re the solution to their problems, and make contact easy.
3. Create authentic video content: “Get on YouTube and talk about what you do and why you got into business,” Damon suggests. Production value matters less than authenticity—smartphone footage with a decent microphone is sufficient.
4. Leverage LinkedIn: Unlike other social platforms, LinkedIn is designed for professional networking and can connect you directly with decision-makers.

The Human Connection in a Digital Age

Despite technological changes, the human element remains crucial. Damon notes that potential clients might watch hours of your videos before deciding you’re the right partner—something they’d never do in a face-to-face meeting.

“The weirdest thing that happened,” Damon shares, “is people would call me up and act like they knew me” after watching his videos. This digital familiarity creates trust before the first conversation even happens.

By embracing these new communication channels, small manufacturers can position themselves effectively in today’s digital marketplace while maintaining the personal connections that drive business relationships.

For more information on Damon’s services or podcast, Faces Of Business, look him up on LinkedIn or go to his website.

Questions:

Has your company invested in video content? If so, what kinds of videos have generated the most engagement with potential customers?

Do you think the human element in sales is being lost, or just transformed? Does that bug you?

 

This summary was aided by claude.ai

My guest on today’s show, Thadd Mellott, called us at Graff-Pinkert because he needed a Star SB20 CNC Swiss machine. His company, Circle M Spring, in Warsaw, Indiana, produces medical parts, including implantable orthopedic components. Circle M Spring is currently merging with a medical component design company that specializes in sports medicine. Thadd is incredibly excited about the merger because he now will have the rare ability to supply medical components directly to hospitals—a privilege that most machining companies can only dream about.

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Interview Highlights

Currently, Circle M Spring operates as a Tier 1 supplier to major orthopedic manufacturers like Zimmer Biomet, DePuy Synthes, Medtronic and others, producing components like reamers, slap hammers, implants, screws and instrumentation. The company also makes firearm components for AR-15 rifles, which Thadd says is unique for machining companies in Warsaw, Indiana.

Circle M was founded in 1998 by Thadd Mellott and his father after his father took early retirement from a 37-year career at another spring company. Thadd was a junior in college doing pre-med but decided to quit school and go into business making springs with his father when he was given the opportunity.

I asked him if it was a difficult decision to pivot from a career path of becoming a doctor to starting a machining company. He said that growing up around Warsaw, Indiana, he had already worked a lot in machine shops. The idea of going into manufacturing seemed like a great opportunity, so he didn’t think twice.

Over the years, Circle M Spring diversified, producing medical parts, including implantables as well as firearms after landing a government contract for gun components. The orthopedic work came about due to Circle M’s location in Warsaw, which many people consider the “medical device capital of the world.”

Now, Circle M is merging with two other companies to create a new parent entity that Mellott will be president of with 51% ownership.

One company is Rebellion Medical Solutions – Founded by Brandon Miller, a former high-level executive at Biomet who started a medical device design firm after the Biomet/Zimmer merger.

The other company in the merger is a medical device OEM owned by a former NFL player. The company is minority owned, which gives it the privilege of selling products directly to hospitals.

The merger allows for a vertically integrated operation – Rebellion handles product design and securing FDA 510k clearances, Circle M is the manufacturing arm, and the former NFL player’s company can distribute devices straight to hospitals without going through larger orthopedic companies as middlemen.

The merger structure provides several key advantages according to Mellott:

It can rapidly fulfill requests from surgeons for customized instruments and implants without the delays and bureaucracy of bigger companies. It also can offer competitive pricing without markups that major orthopedic companies apply.

The newly formed company will have the ability to expand into other medical fields beyond orthopedics by leveraging its integrated capabilities. Special status as a minority-owned business will allow access to lucrative government and diversity supplier contracts that major players cannot pursue.

While Circle M Spring will still also supply larger orthopedic firms, the long-term goal is to grow the hospital sales channel for its own product line and become a more disruptive player in the medical device space.

Another benefit of the merger is that it allows Thadd to realize his passion for positively impacting healthcare that dates back to his pre-med days when he had ambitions of becoming a neurosurgeon after his brother’s death from an aneurysm.

At the end of the interview, he told me he wanted to be a doctor because it would be great just to help people. He has a daughter currently going to school to work in the medical field, and he sees that trait in her as well.

Question: Who is your company’s dream customer?

 

On today’s podcast episode, you’re going to hear the story of a thriving fifth-generation family manufacturing business that is constantly reinventing itself. 

I interviewed Adria and Aaron Bagshaw, owners of W.H. Bagshaw, a machining company in Nashua, New Hampshire, that started over 150 years ago!

For 135 years, W.H. Bagshaw produced the same type of metal needles and pins on ancient equipment until the company purchased its first CNC Swiss machine in 2005. 

Since then, the company has modernized and acquired three other manufacturing companies, including its newest addition, a wooden baseball bat company, Walter Bats.

Those topics make this podcast a fun listen, but the best part of the interview to me was feeling the passion this married couple has for their business, the fun they’re having running it, and the way their personalities compliment each other so well.

 

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Noah Graff: Tell me the story of W.H. Bagshaw.

Aaron Bagshaw: We started manufacturing pins in 1870 in Lowell, Massachusetts. We are the fifth generation to be manufacturing pins and precision turned parts. In 1949, we moved to Nashua, New Hampshire, and we’re in that same location. We transitioned from the pin manufacturing to Swiss CNC parts and big precision turned parts (in 2005).

Graff: What caused you to buy your first Swiss machine?

Aaron Bagshaw: I had a stack of prints on my desk, and we were just throwing opportunities away because all we could make were pins. Citizen was our local dealer and they would call on us.

Graff: When did you join the company, Adria?

Adria Bagshaw: (Aaron and I) met on a blind date in 2000. Ironically, my first job out of college was as a supervisor of a machine shop. Just crazy to think that I met someone else in manufacturing on a blind date.

Aaron: I remember back to one of our first dates. We went to the factory, and I was on a scooter. And (Adria) was like, oh my god, this is crazy. This guy’s on the scooter going to the factory.

Adria: In 2004, we felt like the business was at a crossroads. He was bringing in an ERP system, and I’d worked with a number of them. So every night I was giving input, and we were problem solving together. Then when our son was born, I couldn’t go back in a part time capacity at my old job.

Graff: It seems like your personalities compliment each other.

Adria: Our skills are really complimentary. I would analyze things so much that I wouldn’t do anything, and Aaron maybe would go too fast jumping into things. So we balance each other out that way. We’ve just automatically learned over time that if I’m down, he’s going to pull me up and vice versa.

Graff: Tell me about one of the companies W.H. Bagshaw acquired.

Adria Bagshaw: in 2017, we bought Minnesota Ice Pick. We had been making the blades’ (metal) pick. The company was sourcing the blade from us, the handles from Maine, and shipping them to the Midwest.

(The owner) was ready to fully retire, so we bought rights to the equipment, the inventory, whatnot. It’s been great filler work. So if any of our employees are slow, if a machine’s down, they can pop over there and just make ice picks. It’s been great.

And where so many of our parts are obscure and hard to explain where they go, I think our employees love being able to explain that we make ice picks. 

Graff: Tell me about the latest acquisition. The baseball bat company.

Adria Bagshaw: We had the opportunity three years ago to buy a wood lathe. Our son’s pitching coach was making baseball bats in his garage and needed to get out of that business to focus more on coaching.

I thought how hard can it be? We’re already doing the ice picks. We found that there are so many variations—models, weights, lengths, colors.

Graff: This is a B2C product, and everything you’ve done before this has been B2B.

Aaron Bagshaw: A hundred percent. We make it and we ship it, and it goes right into someone’s hands, and they can use it. On the Swiss side of things, everything we make goes into something else that helps that thing work. We never really get to see what that is in a lot of cases.

Graff: There is something satisfying about seeing people use the product you are making.

Aaron Bagshaw: Yeah, we had we had two young boys come in, and they designed their bats, and they were really beautiful. It was like Christmas for these kids. When they took them out of the packaging and the box, they looked at the bats and they said, “this is the best day ever!” It was just a magical moment.

Graff: Do you think the bats could be something that might attract your kids to go into the business?

Adria Bagshaw: It’s given them a way to get involved in the short term. We’ve made it clear to them that it’s an option for them, but it’s not an expectation of them.

Aaron Bagshaw: If you just leave that opportunity kind of hanging out there, I think that’s the best way for it to happen naturally.

Adria Bagshaw: I think they feel strongly that the company should stay in the family. They’ve got great questions. We’re having a meeting next month with a family business consultant that we’ve worked with before. We’re really excited for that.

Question: What is the best part of working in a family business?

 

For information about W.H Bagshaw go www.whbagshaw.com

For information about Walter Bat, go to WalterBats.com!

 

Today we’re running a podcast that I guested on in September of 2024 called “Networking and Marketing Made Simple.” The show focuses on how LinkedIn can be used to grow your business. It’s hosted by Scott Aaron, who for the last seven months was my LinkedIn coach, an experience that is already paying dividends in our businesses. On his show I focused on one of my favorite topics, harnessing the power of serendipity to be successful in business and life.

It often takes a bit of luck to accomplish extraordinary things, and that luck almost never happens on its own. You have to do specific things to cause it to happen, and that’s what I talk about in the episode.

Scott also guested on Swarfcast in episode 221 and shared some eye opening LinkedIn strategies.

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Serendipity Strategies from the Interview

Connecting the Dots

The more people or “dots” you have in your network the greater the chance you will get lucky. I’m always trying to meet new people because you never know who is going to become someone who brings you business deals or becomes a friend—or both.

Also, whenever I meet new people I find interesting, I try to think about who else I know who could benefit from knowing this person, and then I try to introduce the two of them. Doing this makes the bonds between me and all the parties greater. More possibilities for new magic are created. It also just feels great for me to get to be the serendipity that helps others find success.

Serendipity Hooks

Using serendipity hooks means introducing multiple conversation topics to increase the chances of making connections. I used to think that just being a great listener enabled you to make great contacts and learn important stuff. But eventually I learned that it’s important for YOU to talk in a conversation to make it more worthwhile. The information you tell about yourself and the specific questions you ask your counterpart can determine if a conversation leads to an interesting and significant outcome or is a waste of time. Some serendipity hooks I like to use when I’m getting to know a new person is to tell them I have podcast, I’m a fairly new father, or I work with my dad. I also tell people I’m a used machine tool dealer, but the more interesting topics you bring up, the likelier chance you will find a common interest between you and your conversation partner.

When I speak to new potential customers who contact us about a machine, I always try to look their company up first to give myself ideas for interesting serendipity hooks. If I can find out what machines they have on their website or what industries they serve, I will be armed with more things to discuss in the conversation that may turn out to be more important than the original thing they contacted us about. For instance, a customer might contact Graff-Pinkert about a Citizen we have for sale, and before I call them back I go to their site and see they own Acme-Gridleys, which Graff-Pinkert also buys and sells. I then will know to ask if they want to buy or sell an Acme when I make the call. They might then say to me, “really, you would buy my old Acme machine that I’m trying to get rid of?” I came to discuss one type of machine and finished by talking about an entirely different machine of which there could be a bigger opportunity.

Serendipity Bombs

Instead of focusing on one dream client or opportunity I try to connect with multiple prospects to increase my chances of success. It’s like dropping a big bomb. It’s going to blow up a lot of stuff all around it, not just the space it falls on. For instance, if I have an INDEX CNC machine for sale, I try to contact as many INDEX customers that I can find—not just the few customers who I’ve sold machines to in the past. Like many of these principles, it’s a strategy that seems obvious, but it’s important to identify it. I need to be mindful of the strategy so I remember to use it.

My Daily Mindfulness

In the morning I want to prepare my brain to be ready to see the potential opportunities for serendipity floating all around me, so I start my day repeating the following affirmation:

“I am a serendipity magnet. I create, I see, I seize opportunity everywhere.”

This keeps my eyes and ears open and reminds me to keep thinking about the serendipity creation strategies that I have at my arsonel.

Also, at night before I go to bed, I always write down one serendipitous occurrence that happened to me that day. They’re usually pretty simple, like learning something useful in a conversation that may help in a future machinery deal, or discovering an interesting used machine for sale while searching the web looking for something unrelated, or meeting a new person who will be an important resource.

The more I write about serendipity, the more I think about it, and then the more I notice it all around me.

Question: Can you share a time when something that seemed like bad luck actually led to something great?

 

Have you ever dreamed about combining your expertise and passions to become an entrepreneur?

My guess on today’s podcast did just that. Erez Speiser is the creator of machiningdoctor.com, a site for professionals in the machining industry to get technical information to simplify their work. The site offers resources such as a sophisticated feeds and speeds calculator for six types of machining processes. It even contains a machining encyclopedia.

Before creating Machining Doctor, Erez worked for cutting tools giant ISCAR for over 20 years and managed a Swiss machine shop. But serendipitous elements, namely a love of hiking in his home country of Israel and a global pandemic, led him on an entrepreneurial path.

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Interview Highlights

In 2018, Erez built his first website for a side business called Israel By Foot that provided advice to vacationers hiking in Israel. The company helped people plan for self-guided hikes throughout Israel, providing maps and explanations, booking lodgings, and even dropping tourists’ baggage at hotels.

When COVID-19 hit, the hiking tourism business turned non-existent. At the same time, Erez found himself working at home with a smaller workload for his day job at ISCAR Cutting Tools. The new skills Erez had developed while building the website for Israel By Foot gave him the idea to build a new website devoted to machining, the field he had based his career on.

Machining Doctor Features

Erez says the most popular features on Machining Doctor are calculators that help people assess the correct cutting speed, surface finish, and power consumption for machining jobs. The feeds and speeds calculator works for a number of applications such as turning, milling, parting, grooving, drilling, and threading. It takes into account material groups, types of units, and other variables.

Machiningdoctor.com gets around 250,000 page views and 100,000 unique visitors per month. Erez monetizes Machining Doctor with Google Display Ads on the site, but he wants to change his business model to a subscription based one without annoying ads, in which users pay $1.50 per month. I asked him how he could make money charging users such a low price and he explained that if 100,000 users paid $1.50 per month it would mean $150,000 per month.

Erez has a lot of ideas to boost the value of the site. He is now posting original educational videos about machining. He also plans to use the site to generate clients who want assistance in their machining jobs. He plans to provide complete solutions to jobs, including tooling layout, CNC programming, and simulation tools like VERICUT.

What It’s Like to be an Israeli Living in Israel Right Now

Erez lives in Rakefet, a town in northern Israel, so I decided to ask him a few questions about what it’s like to be an Israeli during such a dark time. His son is a reserve paratrooper and has saw combat for three months. He said the manufacturing sector hasn’t been affected that much by the war in Gaza, though the workforce is somewhat thinner due to workers who are military reservists.

I asked Erez if he thought that Hamas got the result they wanted when they committed the atrocities on October 7. My personal and depressing perspective is that Hamas was hoping for a severe reaction from Israel that would start a destructive chain of events throughout the Middle East. Erez responded that it’s impossible to know how people like Hamas think and that whenever people have tried to understand or predict how they think they have been wrong. Hard to argue with that statement.

We ended the interview discussing Israel’s incredible number of successful startup tech companies. Though I’m not Israeli, I am Jewish, so I think I have some feel for why Israel has so many great entrepreneurs. Jewish culture encourages education, creativity, and courage. Just living in a country surrounded by neighbors who want to blow you up takes chutzpa. Erez claims if it weren’t for a love of hiking and building websites, as well as a global pandemic, there wouldn’t be Machining Doctor. Maybe true, but the added factor of him being Israeli definitely didn’t hurt either.

You can contact Erez on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/erez-speiser-a9444b160

When Trump was elected President for a second term, I expected there would be a lot of talk about tariffs, but I didn’t anticipate all the attention on the Panama Canal and Greenland.

So, it seemed like the perfect time for Lloyd and I to talk to one of our favorite geopolitics experts, Dr. Andrew R. Thomas, best selling author and Professor of Business at the University of Akron. It also just so happens that Thomas is a part-time resident of Panama and he recently wrote a book about the Panama Canal.

It was a fun interview. We explored how the latest politics are reshaping international trade and why the current administration seems so interested in Greenland and the Panama Canal.

Quick note: we recorded this conversation on February 3rd, when there was serious talk about 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports potentially taking effect the very next day.

Listen to our other interviews with Andrew R. Thomas on the subject of reshoring and China, and the fracking revolution (Part 1 and Part 2).

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Interview Highlights

The Panama Canal’s Surprising Success Story

Thomas shared a compelling narrative about the Panama Canal’s transformation. World War II marked a turning point – modern warships had grown too large for the locks, while America’s new interstate highway system and thriving west coast economy diminished its commercial importance. In 2000, critics compared the U.S. handover of control to “giving a Ferrari’s keys to a 16-year-old.” The Panamanians proved them wrong. They achieved ISO 9001 certification within a year, modernized booking systems, and transformed the money-losing operation into a profitable enterprise that generates billions in annual revenue.

This success story has taken a geopolitical turn. China has established growing influence in Panama by managing ports on both sides of the canal, launching infrastructure projects, and strengthening diplomatic ties. This expansion has drawn intense scrutiny from U.S. policymakers, especially President Trump.

The Energy Revolution Reshaping Global Politics

Thomas outlined how the American shale revolution has transformed international relations. America’s private property rights system differs from other nations where governments control mineral rights. This distinction enabled an energy renaissance that has transformed global dynamics and given the U.S. unprecedented leverage in foreign policy decisions.

The Panama Canal serves as a crucial link in this new energy landscape by facilitating American LNG exports to Asian markets. This demonstrates how infrastructure, energy policy, and international trade interconnect in today’s complex global environment.

Tariffs as Tools of Power

The recent announcements of 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada and 10% on China mark a dramatic shift in American foreign policy. Thomas argues these moves extend beyond trade – they leverage economic power to combat fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration. This approach signals a shift from maintaining global order to prioritizing domestic interests, creating unprecedented uncertainty in international business.

A New World Order Emerges

Thomas highlighted a pivotal moment when the Secretary of State acknowledged a “multipolar world” – a revolutionary admission from American leadership. This marks a fundamental shift from post-World War II American hegemony to a more complex international system.

The Urgent Need for Resolution in Ukraine

Thomas emphasized that the Ukraine conflict tops the list of global concerns. Russia sees the situation as an existential threat, given its history of invasions through Ukrainian territory. The rising nuclear risks and military escalations demand a diplomatic solution for global stability.

Looking Ahead

The U.S. continues to redefine its global role by prioritizing domestic interests while wielding economic power in new ways. These changes from Panama to Ukraine reshape international relations and will impact businesses and nations for years to come.

Key takeaway: We watch a historic transformation unfold in the global order, where economic leverage, energy independence, and infrastructure control drive international politics. These dynamics affect everyone involved in international business or policy-making in today’s complex world.

Question: How has unpredictable trade policy affected your manufacturing business in the past year?

Dave Polito is my Star CNC guru.

He’s always been there when I’ve had questions, whether I was asking about a 1999 Star SA12, or a sweet SV38R located in Asia, or the ever flummoxing Siemens control on an ECAS-20.

Dave is the owner of Quality Machine Tool Services, the Star distributor for Illinois and southern Wisconsin. He has been servicing and selling Star Swiss screw machines for over 35 years. For much of his career he did technical service and applications. Quality Machine Tool Services started as strictly a service center and then in 2009 began selling Star machines.

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Interview Highlights

Star’s Distinction from other Swiss CNC Brands

Dave says that several top Swiss CNC screw machine producers make quality products, but Star’s service and the durability of its machines make it one of the best choices on the market. The machines have dovetail construction and their Fanuc control make them easy for operators of other machines with Fanuc control to adopt them. It’s not uncommon for 20-year-old Star machines to still be making good parts, so Star has continued to service all of the machines, and Star’s live tools can be used on all different generations of the brand.

A Refresher on Swiss Machining

Swiss style machines originated in the 1800s in Switzerland for the watch industry that needed to be able to produce parts with a long length to diameter ratio. Swiss style machines are able to produce precise long parts because the bar is supported by a guide bushing that prevents deflection. Swiss style machines are also known as sliding headstock machines because the headstock is what feeds the material through the guide bushing. Today’s Swiss technology is still important for making long parts, but it’s also significant because it enables users to produce complex complete parts. Typically, Swiss machines are used for runs of at least thousands. They aren’t nearly as fast as multi-spindles but are a lot faster than single spindle CNC lathes.

Machining with Ground Bar Stock vs. Unground Bar Stock

Swiss machining is generally associated with using bar stock that is ground to the desired tolerance of parts. Quality ground stock takes some of the variables away that could produce poor parts, so it’s usually advisable to use it when machining unattended.

However, Dave says only around 50% of Swiss work uses ground stock. Some improvements in technology such as Star’s rotary magic guide bushing have made it easier to machine cheaper unground stock. One of the benefits of the rotary magic guide bushing is that it creates air pressure to make sure it is not too loose nor too tight around the bar. 

Machining with Guide Bushing (Swiss Style) vs Without Guide Bushing (Chucking Mode)

Using Swiss Style lathes without the guide bushing, also called chucking mode, has been growing more popular. Without a guide bushing, the machines cannot produce parts quite as long or precise, but the parts can still be high quality and machined complete. Using no guide bushing enables smaller bar remnants when a bar has been used up because the bar doesn’t have to travel over the added space of the guide bushing.

Turret Swiss Lathes vs. Gang Style 

Turret style Swiss Lathes, often used for medical work can produce far more complex parts than gang style machines because they can hold 50 live tools at a time, while a gang style machine holds only a fraction of that. People also like the turret style machines because with so many live tools on the turret they can limit setup changeovers by producing families of parts. However, turret style machines have larger footprints than gang style machines and much larger price tags. An entry level 5-axis gang style machine starts around $100,000 without a bar feed. A 6-axis SR gang style machine starts at around $200,000 without bar feed. Turret style machines can cost more than $500,000 depending on how they are tooled up.

Current Market for CNC Swiss

Dave says Star still has a backlog of orders for its machines. A popular model like an SR20 will take about 6-8 weeks to arrive at a customer. Earlier in the year it might have taken several months to get a machine. The lead time has been reduced by supply chain bottlenecks lessening.

Dave says customers he talks to still seem confident they will continue to get a lot of Swiss work going forward, despite the nervousness in the current economy. 

Star sells more machines to China than anywhere else in the world. Dave says he has heard that Chinese companies buy the same number of machines in one month that U.S. companies might buy in a year.

Question: What is the most lucrative part you have machined?

My guest on today’s podcast, Anthony Davis, told me that since age 10 he and his brother knew they wanted to join their family business, Global CNC, a tooling manufacturer for CNC lathes and mills.

Today at age 23, Anthony runs the company alongside his 25-year-old brother, Alexander, and their 84-year-old grandfather who founded the company 40 years ago.

What I love about Anthony is how ALL-IN he is in his work. He values carrying on his grandfather’s legacy, but he is also driven to innovate into new products and marketing techniques. He glows as he talks about how he loves to work with family members, which I’m grateful to say that I can relate to as well, working alongside my father who just turned 80.

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Interview Highlights

Distinct Production Methods

Global CNC distinguishes itself as one of the few remaining US-based manufacturers in their sector, producing high-quality tool holders for major machine builders including Mazak, DMG-MORI, Nakamura, Haas, and Doosan.

While some competitors use DuraBar, a softer material that wears down more quickly, Global CNC insists on high-quality steel with specific heat treating specifications. They also take the extra step of grinding all critical surfaces—a process many competitors skip in favor of machine finishing.

Global CNC’s facility is composed of a variety of brands of machine tools in order to understand their customers’ needs. ”Since we make our own product line, we have to really please everyone,” Anthony explains. This hands-on experience with different machines allows them to experiment with new tool holder technologies and find ways to decrease cycle times and improve finishes.

Anthony’s Growing Role at the Company

The COVID-19 accelerated Anthony’s role in his family company. When his college, University of Michigan-Dearborn, shifted to online classes and his hockey season was canceled (his team was ranked fourth nationally in their division), Anthony began working full-time while completing his degree. He managed a schedule that included early morning hockey practice, work during the day, and evening classes, all while learning the business from the ground up.

Growth Plans of Global CNC

Looking to the future, Global CNC is expanding into new markets. They’re developing tool holders for Swiss-style machines, with plans to launch within the next year and a half. The company is also eyeing HSK and CAPTO tool holders for milling and mill-turn applications, seeing these as crucial growth areas in the industry.

The company balances the wisdom of experience with fresh perspectives. While there can be differences in approach between traditional methods and newer ideas, the family works through these differences through open discussion and mutual respect. They hold regular strategic discussions about advancing their manufacturing capabilities, recently exploring new technologies to produce products faster and more efficiently.

This combination of traditional manufacturing values and forward-thinking innovation positions Global CNC well for continued growth in the precision tool holder market.

Question: What is the best thing about working in your family’s business?

 

This summary was assisted by ai.

Spinner is a German CNC machine tool brand that’s been around for 73 years. The company sold 1,200 CNC mills turning centers, and automation systems in Europe last year, yet in the United States, a large amount of people in the machining industry have never even heard of them.

At the 2023 Precision Machining Technology Show, I stumbled upon Spinner’s booth, stopping there to ask if I could borrow a box cutter. Then I met Salim Awad, President and CEO of Spinner North America, who graciously agreed on the spot to be interviewed.

Salim has a fascinating personal story. He’s from Colombia, he was an army diver in Iraq, and he founded his own law firm. He worked for the prominent Italian machine tool company Bucci. And, since 2022, he’s been entrusted with bringing a German machine tool brand to the United States.

From my experience as used machine tool dealer at Graff-Pinkert, it often seems as though machine tool brands are like religions for machining companies. Once a company has experience and success with one, it’s hard to convert them to something different—let alone to one they’ve never heard of.

On today’s show, we’re going to talk about how you penetrate a crowded B2B market. How do you get customers to pay a half a million dollars to try a new machine? How do you market yourself? How do you earn people’s trust?

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Noah Graff:  Give me a few examples of the types of machines Spinner makes. What would be the cost of a triple turret lathe, for example?

Salim Awad  (We make) CNC machine tools, from lathes, to mills. We’ve got some very special machines, like a mill-turn with capabilities for grinding. Hard turning machines that are able to hold sub-micron precision. 

In terms of price, we are very competitive. When a lot of people think about German machines, they think, oh yeah, they look great. They probably do a great job, but my God, I don’t want to pay that that much.

But we’ve found we are able to provide a very high quality product at a price that regular shops, not only the huge companies, are able to afford.

The (triple turret machine) you saw the today, we’re probably (asking) around $550,000.

 

Graff: Right now you are at PMTS (the Precision Machining Technology Show) getting the word out, showing the world who Spinner is. How long have you been distributing spinner in the US?

Awad: I joined the company right before IMTS 2022, August of last year. There was really no presence (before then). Like you said, their brand wasn’t known. Nobody knew what type of machines they could offer, where they came from or what capabilities they had.

 

Graff: What was your first step for bringing a machine tool brand into a new country, particularly the United States? 

Awad: The first step was to identify who we want to be and what resources we have to accomplish that.

We didn’t want to tell the market the business we’re going to do. We wanted to listen for a little while and understand what works and doesn’t work. Understand what type of customers were the right customers for us and get their feedback about best way to approach the market.

We have been fortunate to bring on a fantastic group of people. We’re not to the level where we want to be as far as the team that we want to have. But I think we have a very strong foundation with the people we’ve brought on already.

 

Graff:  What’s the next step?

Awad: The next step is to continue to capitalize on the relationships that we already have. We call that the “low hanging fruit.”

In this case, we call the shops that we’ve already done business with. The people who have become friends, who trust you and know that you’re going to do what you say you’re going to do.

 

Graff: So you call them and what do you say? “We’ve got this awesome machine. Come check it out”?

Awad: (We ask) “Are you happy?” And many times you find a point of unhappiness that can result in an opportunity for us.

We want to find their real pain. almost like a doctor would.

Start asking the real questions and find the core of the problem.

 

Graff: To me, machine tools seem like religions. It’s hard to convert people to try a new one.

Awad: I don’t try to convert anybody. We try to keep it solution based.

“Do you have a part that you that you feel you could do better?”

“Alright, let me try it. Let me see if we can do it better for you.”

 

Graff: What strategies are you focusing on to get new customers?

Awad: I try to focus on the elements that will make them feel comfortable.

What I’ve learned over years in manufacturing is that doesn’t matter how good the machine is if it doesn’t have the support. What the customers tell me is, “I don’t care how good your machine is, if you’re not going to support it.”

 

Graff: You guys are headquartered in Minneapolis?

Awad: (Minneapolis). We have some people in Texas, some people in Michigan. 

We have to do that because otherwise we’re unable to provide the support that’s required.

 

Graff: At the 2023 PMTS, many of the big European machine tool builders aren’t there. DMG is not there. Index is not there. But you chose to come.

Awad:  We don’t see (the show) as an expense. We see it as an investment and also a show of commitment to the precision machining community.

We make this investment because we care. Because we want to be part of this group of people who are there every day, figuring out how to do machining better, more efficiently, more automated, and competitive in the world.

Question: What machine have you been curious to try out?

It takes tremendous balls to start a machining company from scratch. And, maybe a little extra chutzpa to start a shop that primarily runs cam screw machines making millions of parts for automotive. After 23 years working in job shops and running a small farm, Karl Drasgow cashed out his 401K to found Drasgow Inc., [...]