Survey: Has the Economy Affected Your Shop?

BottleBob wrote:

I'm hurting, as I have two customers all but dead and gone along with the $40k/year worth of work I did for them. Probably lost another due to putting them on COD for running months past due over the last 18 months. Another big customer mfgs high end audio, something that's not high on most people's priorities right now. The local customer that wants to hire me, it's on hold as none of the big dollar contracts he's been working on are closing. Half a million is a small project for him, some would run to 5-7 million. Companies seem to be in no hurry to commit to such orders right now.... And of course, this time of year has been slow for me over all but one of the past 10 years. I do expect things to pick up some in January.

Nevada County over the past decade has done little more than pay lip service to any sort of real manufacturing. There is some, but seems to me at best, it's been on a slow decline. County was making big dollars on all the high dollar homes being built by folks that sold off their overpriced real estate from the SF bay area and SoCal. Homes that few local working stiffs can afford to buy. That market has taken a big hit, though maybe not quite as bad as other parts of the state. Nice area to live, and there's still people with cash to buy... We've lost all our dealerships (Ford is moving out soon, others are closed up) and even the larger used car lots are closing down. There's a pretty large base of high tech companies doing digital switching as in TV and such, but they're suffering too. Three local companies just invested millions in building very nice new, and large facilities. A car dealership, a motorhome dealership, and a hardware store. The car dealership is an empty lot and the other two are hurting big time. A Canadian company wants to reopen the historic Idaho-Maryland gold mine. They want to not only resume mining for gold, but have developed a process for making ceramic tiles out of the waste rock. While there are legit environmental issues to consider, there is a vocal segment of newcomers that just are not going to settle for less than scuttling the whole thing. If it did open, it would employ several hundred people and really help the local economy. Fiscally anyway... The larger machine shops rely on work from outside the county. Probably the largest local machine shop put in a $300k horizontal this year, but don't know if they're still busy. Other smaller shops seem to be doing OK, as in OK to just surviving. I know I could do a lot better elsewhere, but I gave up a good job in the bay area 28 years ago so when I started a family my kids could live in and enjoy the country. And this area has some of the best schools in the state. So I'm going to do my best to hang out the 3.5 years until the youngest graduates. Then I'm out of here, and probably off to Australia to semi-retire.

Jon

BottleBob wrote: > To All: >

We're running all the hours we can find people for, and have new orders and new customers

. We have four new machine tools to install in January, two more in June, and will probably replace five of the older ones in the meantime. And we still have red notes all over the shop schedule, barely keeping up with demand.

We're hoping (but trying not to be too callous about it) that if other shops have trouble, maybe there will be some good people looking around for work. We could use a dozen right now.

KG

That said, we only do turbine stuff - blades, blisks, rotors, etc. It's a niche that seems to keep us booked well in advance. We do find some of of our suppliers are not stocking tools as much as the past. No one wants inventory these days.

Bob, any work from ADI lately? They must be taking a beating these days.

-- Bill

Bill:

About 2 months ago ADI cut their hours to 30 or 32 per week. Then about a month ago they laid off about 40 people. So yeah, I'd say they were taking a beating.

We haven't done any work for them in probably a year or more. We're as busy as always, actually there's probably more work than normal. Well, I probably should get out of the habit of saying WE, it's THEM now.

Kirk:

So refresh my memory, what is it you guys make/do?

?????? Bob?

Joe:

I'm officially still on the books to the end of the year since I've still got accrued vacation time coming. But as of Jan 1 I'm retired.

Who gives a flying f*ck what they make--I want to see one of their actual "machinists wanted" ad....IOW Im calling bullshit.

Retired? Was it because of the coolie wages and chinese vises?!

Joe:

I just couldn't stand the humiliation one more minute, well... one more month. LOL

You'd a been joinin wit da res a da retard folks ceptin ya haint done livin in da south.

Congrats! So, what are you going to be doing with your newfound free time?

Jon

Suggest consider tossing Fran and the cat into the beloved corvette and hoof it on up this way or at least someplace come spring..

JA:

Well I've been off for over a month, and what with visiting Fran and checking out condos (planning to purchase a foreclosure), throwing out old computers, vacuum cleaners, magazines, etc. etc. there has been a lot of drama in my life - but no free time as yet. :)

BPB: Is that an offer to put us up for the weekend?

I don't know about anybody else, but I need a damn break. I was hoping the economy would emplode and we would all slow down at the same time. Now I'm brainwashed into working all the hours I can just in case the work runs out. I think we are all being trolled into slavery.

I do notice there's no new equipment in the future. That kinda scares me a little bit. Nothings getting fixed or replaced, no new process being made, no new equipment being looked at. Nobody's getting hired, nobody's quitting, nothing's getting cleaned? No training, no apprentices, etc... No walls getting painted, no bug man coming round spraying.... Nobody is buying any personal tools. Even the computers havn't been upgraded, nor the software. Across the board.

Oh well, can't worry about it. All we can do is our best, always try to learn more, and teach the younger guys so they don't grow up to be so damn ignorant. lol (yea...generation x friggen knows it all!!! there..I SAID IT!!!)

Vinny:

They're probably being cautious and saving their pennies for a possible rainy day, just like you are. As long as the shop's busy, that's what counts.