The last year and a half, I’ve been a rookie family man. I’m trying to balance selling sexy-ugly iron, podcasting, and being a good dad and husband. I’m a distractible person with mild ADHD. I like to have fun, get out of the house, and I sometimes have trouble pulling myself away from the TV.  [...] The post How to Get More Done While Working Less, With Ari Meisel first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

Today’s guest on the show is Paul Huber, CEO of COMEX, in Monroe Connecticut. Paul is a machinery dealer specializing in cam Swiss automatics. That’s cam Swiss, not CNC. I’m talking about Bechlers, Stroms and Escomatics, not Citizens. Paul is 84, but proudly says feels like he is 60 as he raises his 17-year-old son. [...] The post A 67-Year Adventure in Swiss Machining Continues, with Paul Huber-EP 199 first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

In college, one of my favorite elective classes was bowling—I took it twice. Maybe you poo poo the idea of taking bowling at an expensive institution like the University of Wisconsin, but that was the class where I learned about the powerful science of “pin action.” To the bowling novices out there, do you ever [...] The post Business Pin Action: Seeking Serendipity-EP 198 first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

How do you know what to charge for your product? How do you negotiate with customers and leave the least money on the table? And not just for one transaction but for the long run? On today’s episode, Part II of our interview with Jay Jacobs, we discuss strategies that you can use the next time [...] The post What Should I Charge for My Parts?, Jay Jacobs (Part II) EP-197 first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

As Graff-Pinkert has gotten more into consulting machining businesses who want to sell their companies, we are constantly learning new things about what determines the value of machining firms.  Wednesday, I flew home after visiting a client we are helping sell its Swiss machining operation. On the plane, I thought back to a favorite episode [...] The post How to Calculate the Value of a Machining Business, With John Habe IV first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

Imagine a sheet metal prototype shop that was so fast and reliable it never turned down a job if it were physically possible to complete and the customers were willing to pay the price.  My guest today, Jay Jacobs, built his former company RAPID from a team of five to over 300. Before being acquired [...] The post A Shop that Makes Promises Like Domino’s Pizza, Jay Jacobs (Part I) EP-196 first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

Today’s podcast is the fourth episode of our season interviewing people involved in CNC Swiss machining. Our guest is Mike Reader, owner and president of Precision Plus, a CNC turning company in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Mike came into the machining business at 31 years old following a career in the fast paced finance industry. When he [...] The post Ep. 112 Developing a World-Class CNC Turning Company with Mike Reader first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

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 [...] The post Manufacturing Watches is Complicated and Spiritual, with Josh Hacko – EP 195 first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

I love this classic episode because it emphasizes how having fun with your product (or service) and feeling free to experiment with it can lead to success and happiness. Mike Taylor inquired on a Tornos GT26 Swiss lathe Graff-Pinkert had for sale. He told me that for him the machine would be like buying a [...] The post Innovation from Playing with Machines, with Mike Taylor first appeared on Today’s Machining World.

This podcast has been going for five years now, and those people who listen to it frequently might be tired of the Graff-Pinkert ad at the beginning of the show. I was tired of it, so I finally created a new ad. For people who are listening to this show for the first time, I’m [...] The post How to Persuade Customers to Buy Your New Product–EP 194 first appeared on Today’s Machining World.