Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast Why Data Collection in Machine Shops Is Worth the Effort (Production Pulse)
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Dec 2, 2025 Mike Payne, the president of Hill Manufacturing & Fabrication, shares his passion for data and metrics in manufacturing. He reveals how monitoring machine performance increased spindle utilization significantly. Payne discusses his journey from ERP adoption to effective data collection, proving that relationships and performance matter most. He highlights standardized systems that accelerated onboarding and how data enhances quoting processes for both long and short production runs. Insightful anecdotes make clear that insightful data can lead to remarkable efficiency improvements.
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Seeing Performance Changes Behavior
- Visible, accurate machine data raises performance because people respond to real-time feedback.
- Mike Payne saw spindle utilization jump from ~30% to 50% after monitoring and displaying results.
Begin With ERP Before Adding Sensors
- Start with an ERP to capture time and job data before layering other tools.
- Use that ERP baseline to identify gaps then add machine monitoring and inspection systems.
COVID Forced Improvement Time
- During COVID they used existing labor to improve systems rather than lay off staff.
- That time let Hill Manufacturing invest in process improvements and data collection.