Machine Shop Mastery

51. From Supply Chain to Shop Owner with Mark Heston from Colinear Machine

Apr 10, 2024

Mark Heston, President of Colinear Machine, shares the remarkable journey of boosting revenue through strategic investments and fostering team cohesion. He discusses the challenges of meeting aerospace industry demands, efficient planning, pricing strategies, and navigating organizational changes. The importance of niche expertise and core competency in the machining business is highlighted.

54:38

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Quick takeaways

Implementing a robust planning and engineering process led to quicker turnaround times and higher quality parts.

Focus on upgrading company culture, empowering employees, and emphasizing core values increased accountability and efficiency.

Improving customer communication through proactive engagement and educating clients on capabilities led to increased trust and new opportunities.

Deep dives

Strong Emphasis on Planning and Engineering Processes

Implementing a robust planning and engineering process has been crucial in transforming the business. The creation of the engineering department has streamlined operations significantly, allowing for better planning of projects from cradle to grave. This comprehensive approach ensures that parts are fully programmed, engineered, and fixtured before hitting the shop floor, resulting in quicker turnaround times and higher quality parts.

Introduction

4min

Collinear Machine Design: Growth and Transition

4min

Meeting the Requirements of Aerospace and Defense Markets

5min

Building Trust and Operational Efficiency in a Machining Business

21min

Navigating Organizational Changes

13min

Detailed Overview of Engineering Group Roles in Project Planning

2min

Importance of Upfront Planning and Quality Processes in Shop Efficiency and Turnaround Times

3min

Emphasizing Niche Expertise and Core Competency in Machining Business

3min

51. From Supply Chain to Shop Owner with Mark Heston from Colinear Machine Mark Heston is the President of Colinear Machine in northern New Jersey. Colienear specializes in precision machined components and assemblies for the helicopter and aircraft landing gear industries. Mark and his partners bought the business in 2022 and have engineered huge changes and growth in the business in the past 2 years. The turnaround story is one you won’t want to miss, and includes some difficult conversations with clients on some necessary price increases, some massive changes to how they plan and engineer their jobs, and a lot of intentional work on their culture and managing change with their team. Combine that with the insights that he shares having spent years on the supply chain side of the aerospace industry, with advice for shops serving the industry, and this is an episode you don’t want to miss. About Colinear Machine: Colinear Machine & Design's mission is to utilize innovation-driven engineering and manufacturing techniques to produce high-quality products for the aerospace industry. Our team of engineers designs and programs complex, high-precision parts utilizing top-of-the-line manufacturing equipment. AS9100 and ISO9001 certified, they are committed to maintaining the highest quality standards in the aerospace industry. Follow Mark and Colinear Machine on social media: Mark's LI: /mark-heston Company LI: /colinear

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Machine Shop Mastery

51. From Supply Chain to Shop Owner with Mark Heston from Colinear Machine

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Strong Emphasis on Planning and Engineering Processes

Upgrading Culture and Empowering Employees

Customer Communication and Relationship Building

Focus on Specialization and Leveraging Strengths

Continuous Improvement and Adaptation to Change

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts