Will Sampson talks about an economy built on disposable products and some efforts to buck that trend. His guest is John Mitteer, who is a seasoned manufacturing professional with over three decades of experience in various industries, including defense, automotive manufacturing, and automation. He is currently serving as the Senior Sales Consultant at MachMotion, a company that specializes in rebuilding CNC machines
This episode of the Woodworking Network podcast was sponsored by FDMC magazine. FDMC magazine is your vital source of information to improve your woodworking business. Whether it is keeping you apprised of the latest advances in manufacturing, helping you solve your wood technology problems with Gene Wengert, or inspiring you with case histories about successful businesses and best practices, FDMC magazine is there to be the sharpest business tool in your shop. Learn more and subscribe for free at woodworkingnetwork.com/fdmc.
Woodworking Network is a home for professional woodworkers, presenting technology, supplies, education, inspiration, and community, from small business entrepreneurs to corporate managers at large automated plants.
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Intro music courtesy of Anthony Monson.
Intro:
Welcome to this episode of the Woodworking Network Podcast. Join us as we explore the business of woodworking big and small and what it takes to succeed. I’m Will Sampson.
Today’s episode is sponsored by FDMC magazine. My guest is John Mitteer, a Senior Sales Consultant at MachMotion, a company that specializes in rebuilding CNC machines. But first I want to talk about:
What is really disposable?
Lots of people talk about how we live in a disposable economy. What they are really talking about is how fewer and fewer things are repaired or rebuilt. Instead, the focus is on throwing things away and replacing them with something new.
That’s supposed to be really good for the economy because it increases demand for new products, but I’m not so sure. For better or worse I’m a product of parents who survived the Great Depression. Growing up in the boom times of the early 1960s, we didn’t want for anything, but we sure weren’t going to throw something away if there might be a use for it or if someone else might have a use for it.
Today, in my adopted home state of Maine there is a popular expression that sums up a Yankee philosophy of frugality. Folks here are fond of saying, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.”
That’s a little different than trading in your cell phone to get the latest model and heaven help you if the battery dies before then. Can you even replace the battery?
When it comes to our businesses, the disposable trend runs up against business calculations. I’ve been in more woodworking shops than I can count where the walls were covered with all sorts of dusty jigs and fixtures that were used once, but no one wants to throw away because, “We might just need that one of these days!” Of course, whether they can even find it when they need it, that’s another story.
When I first got interested in woodworking as a hobbyist, there were all sorts of people who revered old cast iron machines, saying, “They don’t make ‘em like that anymore.” But some of the reasons they don’t make those machines anymore is that new machines can do so much more, capitalizing on computers and software and a level of precision unmatched by those old cast iron behemoths.
But then we’re dealing with a different kind of discussion. What about software and hardware updates to stay current? What requires special training and equipment? When machinery costs tens of thousands of dollars, how do you budget for repair and replacement? How do you create a timeline for upgrades? When do you decide to upgrade? When do you decide to replace?
There are no pat answers to these questions, but the point is the questions themselves are not being asked enough. People used to talk about “planned obsolescence.” This is obsolescence without a plan.
The next time you think about a new machinery purchase, think not only about the return on investment but also the lifespan and how that value might be extended over time.
Before we get to our interview with Bobby Miller, let’s pause for a word from our sponsor.
FDMC magazine is your vital source of information to improve your woodworking business. Whether it is keeping you apprised of the latest advances in manufacturing, helping you solve your wood technology problems with Gene Wengert, or inspiring you with case histories about successful businesses and best practices, FDMC magazine is there to be the sharpest business tool in your shop. Learn more and subscribe for free at woodworkingnetwork.com/fdmc.
Now, let’s talk with John Mitteer.