2019cnc4-5

CNC WEST April/May 2019 www.CNC-West.com 43 I didn’t know about the term lean manufacturing, just that I needed a faster way to measure and cut. The broom handle slid over the casing perfectly allowing me to draw the cut lines in seconds.” It was simple, but a huge technology up- grade that helped him with production numbers. The first generation Bottle Breacher was just spray painted with a sticker put on it, but the feedback he got was inspiring. “The initial openers I made had the SEAL Team 3 punisher logo on them,” continues Eli. “The light bulb just turned on when I saw the reaction of the team. They ordered a bunch of them for family and friends. SEALs are some of the cool- est people on the planet, and companies are always giving them shoes, glasses, jackets because of it. So if they liked the bottle opener, then the masses would love it too.” Understanding all too well that garage production was working ok, but it wasn’t great, the Cranes began to re- search manufacturing solutions that could boost produc- tion, reduce costs and yield a better product. As they were trying to grow the company, Eli and Jen were avid watchers of the ABC TV show Shark Tank. “We were watching Shark Tank and the entrepreneur was getting ripped apart for not having any branding directly on his product,” tells Eli. “We decided we needed an engraver to brand our products. We didn’t want to dip into our small nest egg just to buy a beat up used engraver, so I sold my chopper and bought a brand new one.” Sales tripled nearly over night for Bottle Breacher. Not because of the branding, but because now they could offer a fully customizable product. “We went from being limited to happy birthday, to happy birthday Sean and your birthdate on it. We blew up with personalization.” With good sales numbers, a solid business model, and an incredible backstory Jen and Eli got their chance to face the sharks on Season 6 Episode 8 that aired in November 2014. Understanding that bullets and firearms don’t play well on network TV in the modern world Eli knew that the likelihood of being picked for the show was slim. He also knew that they had a product that was perfect for TV. “Ul- timately the show is about entertainment,” explains Eli. “We Jen and Eli Crane presented to the Sharks on Season 6 of Shark Tank. They left with two sharks investing in Bottle Breacher. They used the $150,000 to invest in a turn key Hurco machining cell. The package came with the Hurco mill, fixtures, pallets, and custom programming of the Bottle Breacher parts. Eli wanted a system that was easy to use and maintain for non machinists. The goal was to be able to cycle parts through it with a minimum amount of effort and with low overhead. They have been super happy that they chose Hurco. Hurco even ordered promotional bottle openers to help celebrate their recent anniversary.