I have a love affair with the job shop.  I love to walk through their plants and talk to the people.  I love the energy level of their culture.  They are all about “can do” and what is ahead.  Their backlog could be two days or six months. The owners come from many different backgrounds… raised on a farm, CPA accounting career, formal or informal engineering education, machine operator, employee of a large company, etc.  Most started with nothing.  Almost all are privately held.  They are all entrepreneurs. The common denominator of all job shop people is that they all love to make parts.  They are “gear heads,” and are proud of it!

I see the job shop as a true manifestation of the “American Dream.”  The folks who run these businesses are some of the smartest, most creative and toughest people I know.  They just survived the worst manufacturing recession since the great depression of the 1930s.  They have reinvented themselves as niche companies providing distinctive (but, perhaps invisible) added value.  They are willing to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to make parts more competitively, always aware that at any time they could lose that work to China or Mexico.  These people are durable, confident and determined.

I believe the formula for today’s successful job shop is to:  do at least one thing better than anyone else; have the courage to invest heavily in equipment and people; and automate wherever possible (to reduce labor content) and develop systems to operate 24/7 (or as close to that as possible).  The American job shop owner is still the independent, opportunistic cowboy of days past, but today they know who they are and what their customers need more than ever.

Here’s what I think is the real secret of their success.  While we may agree that the job shop culture is entrepreneurial, their customer almost always is bureaucratic.  The job shop owner/operator must know how to navigate in these larger, process oriented and highly structured organizations.  Since entrepreneurial and bureaucratic cultures do not mix, the job shop must softly take the lead in the relationship.  They must adapt like a chameleon to each of these unique “red tape” environments.  They must make their customer feel in control, but all the time gently leading them to a successful relationship.

They are actually on the reverse side of government support. There are no subsidies in the job shop sector. They must meet all the toughest OSHA and EPA government regulations.  After dealing with these burdens they then go out and help create the most jobs with their own creativity and investment (not like some big U.S. businesses that get rewarded with government bailouts for going bankrupt).

So much of our economy rides with the success of these entrepreneurs.   As they continue to win globally, they make it better for all Americans.  Their large company customers are trying to find ways to send work offshore.  Our job shops are innovating and investing to keep it here.  Who does the press worship?  The big guys, of course.  I urge all of us to continue to help our job shop customers improve their throughput.  We have a huge vested interest in keeping our job shop customers successful.  They represent security for our families, our local communities and our country.

Sincerely,