Shop owner Chris Nachtmann has established a close relationship with one of his biggest customers. In fact, he moved his operation inside that customer’s facility a couple years ago. Now, he’s making greater strides to invest in and grow his business.
For this company, the collaboration between engineering and manufacturing is physically represented by the “glass hut,” the so-named conference room with a clear view of the shop floor.
Despite having turning centers with conversational controls, this gear manufacturer has benefited from going back to CAM as its primary method of programming those machines.
This shop has made a strong commitment to kaizen, so much so that it devotes five percent of company time to continuous improvement activities. This has led to multiple ideas that have enabled the shop to become more efficient and effective.