5 Ways to Keep Your Machine Shop Competitive in the Digital Age

Dear DE Reader:

After WW II, my uncle Jim served hot rod and wretched car owners for 40 years. Jim could flap his ears like an elephant, fix anything and make parts in his shop. Today, machine shops are still the lifeblood of engineering and product development. Much has changed on the floor in our digital era, so you gotta change with the times to make a living at it. Today’s Check it Out link offers a handy best practice guide that can help you succeed.

Actually, “5 Ways to Keep Your Machine Shop Competitive in the Digital Age” should appeal to any small shop from the lone freelance designer to the David-sized company taking on the Goliath horning in on them. This easy-reading, seven-page paper offers a roadmap that can streamline your processes and better position you to compete in the modern landscape.

The paper feels as if its inspiration comes directly from hard-earned experience in the trenches. That makes sense. It was produced by Markforged, the developer of industrial-strength yet affordable desktop 3D printers. Many of its clients are the machine shops doing the impossible throughout the product development lifecycle; not too long ago Markforged was in startup mode.

The paper also seems like a labor of love. Why? Because Markforged and its products hardly get any play. Yes, it notes that 3D printers are now a part of your shop’s mix of machinery. But mostly it recommends freeware and low-cost third-party applications that can help you organize your business infrastructure.

Organizing and adapting your business processes to exploit digital technologies is this paper’s focus. But clearly laying out your moves in a logical, doable order is its forte.

Its concentration on five best practices lets you home in on your issue. For example, say your clients use all sorts of CAD systems and don’t have the time to generate engineering drawings. Here’s what to do. Are phone orders your productivity enemy? Here’s how to take orders through email and the web. No time to market your services? Here are some practical ways to make a website do it for you.

Adapting to changing realities is hard work, especially when you’re trying to keep up with things now. “5 Ways to Keep Your Machine Shop Competitive in the Digital Age” offers a ton of practical advice that can make change easier. Hit today’s Check it Out link and download your complimentary copy.

Thanks, Pal. – Lockwood

Anthony J. Lockwood

Editor at Large, DE