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36 www.CNC-West.com CNC WEST February/March 2018 at a local shop,” laughs Luke. “The sales guy for a name brand machine builder tells him I just bought a Doosan lathe. The production manager says, “I’m sorry”. I wasn’t offended but it was an unexpected response. I’m just happy to see their shop and look at a possible milling solution from that brand ma- chine builder, so I didn’t say anything at the time. Later on, the same guy volunteers without being asked that they looked at the Doosan 5th axis mill and saw almost no difference with the much more expensive Japanese brand except for ‘brand reputa- tion’. They thought highly of Ellison as a service organization. Since it wasn’t his money, he was fine paying a premium with nothing to show for it other than a ‘better’ logo on the outside. I would rather save my money for investments that will add value for our customers and reap the benefits of great service from a leading organization like Ellison. When the buyer of a more expensive competing brand could not even offer much ra- tionale to buy that brand, it solidified my thought that Doosan offered the right mix of performance and price.” Luke couldn’t say enough about his purchase experience with Blake and Ellison Technologies. “Blake really has gone above and beyond for us,” touts Luke. “Besides being a knowl- edgeable sales person and getting us a good deal with a very at- tractive financing package through their affiliated leasing com- pany, he also helped me with placing a tiny part with another shop.” Luke had a small run of a thousand or so pieces and a completely full schedule in his turning department. The part was geared more towards production on a Swiss machine, so he called Blake to see if he had a guy who could help. “We could have done an Internet search for Swiss turning and talked to a lot of places without the capacity to run the part in our time- frame,” explains Luke. “Instead I called Blake at 2pm and gave him the specs. By noon the next day I already had a quote from another one of his customers that could quickly turn the part around for us. They had a great price and great delivery and got the job. He saved me so much time and headache.” With new technology integrated into its operations and a long track record of quality, Harley & Son are all set for 2018. They are looking for additional machinists and programmers to go along with their increased capacity and capabilities. “I want to add more people to our staff this year,” describes Luke. “Reli- able, skilled machinists who can setup and run aerospace-level precision parts are welcome to come and apply. We’d also like someone in admin with manufacturing experience. Our other need is to add another programmer to the staff who is experi- enced in Solidworks and Camworks.” It is clear right away that Luke has a love of his new enterprise and is in it for the long haul. “Buying a business is never easy,” concludes Luke. “Espe- cially one that has been around for four decades. We have cus- tomers that have been here for 30 years longer than I have. That means something to me. This company was built on 40 years of supplying customers the highest quality machined parts. Our customers appreciate our attention to detail and commitment to the highest manufacturing standards. We strive to provide the best service experience for our customers.” As an AS9100C/ISO9001 Certified & ITAR registered company a large portion of Harley and Son’s customer base is rooted in aerospace/defense and medical devices. They primarily work in aerospace grade stainless steel and aluminum but won’t shy away from the exotics. Their 5th axis capabilities have expanded their abilities as well as cut production time on existing parts. Buying Harley & Son enabled Luke Soule to realize his dream of owning his own business. With a background in engineering and operations management he set his sights on a manufacturing company with strong history in the aerospace and medical device industries.