Resource Review—

Costa Mesa, CA’s Criterion Machine Works, Inc. provides a wide range of boring heads, bars and tools to local, national and international customers.

Founded in Beverly Hills, CA in 1935 as a two-man machining job shop serving the movie industry, the company designed and produced its first offset boring head in 1939. In the succeeding years, it became a major machine shop employing as many as 175 people. At the same time, it continued to expand its line of boring tools, so that by 1970 the tool line was more than 50% of its business.

Today Criterion devotes 100% of its efforts to supplying customers with a broad range of high-quality tools. It currently employs 30 people in a 30,000 sq ft facility.

In keeping with our effort to provide our readers with profiles of potential resources, we recently visited Criterion for an interview with its president-owner, Gary Vanderpol. The results of that interview are presented here for your review.

                                                                        C.H. Bush, editor

CNC West: Gary, I have to ask this. How does it feel to be president and owner of a 70-year-old company? Isn’t that slightly intimidating?

Vanderpol: Not really, Chuck. I’ve been hanging around Criterion since I was a kid. My dad joined the company in 1941 and later became vice president. His picture still hangs in the lobby, so it makes me feel right at home.

CNC West: When did you join Criterion?

Vanderpol: Like I said, I feel like I’ve been part of the company almost since I was born, but I joined officially in 1974 after I got a degree in mechanical engineering at U.C. Davis and an MBA from Cal State Long Beach. I came on board as an engineering salesman and put together our first real rep and distributor organization. I was named president of the company in 1990. Nowadays our products are available all over North America and we’re working on expanding into Europe and Asia, too.

CNC West: Speaking of products, what kinds of tools do you produce and sell?

Boring Products

Vanderpol: Well, over the past twenty years we have developed three new major tooling programs, the Cri-Bore line, the Cri-Twin line and our newest program, which we call the Cri-Tip line of products. Unlike a lot of cutting tool manufacturers who make a lot of different tools, we specialize in offset boring systems. Our catalogs are pretty thick with all our products. We make modular systems similar to Kaiser, Komet and others. We have broad lines of boring heads, bars and tools, shanks and adapters.We make specialty tools like chamfer bars, threading bars and O-ring grooving tools. We have lathe tools and, of course, our newest line of products, which we call the Cri-Tip modular boring system. Most of our tools are available in both inch and metric versions.
CNC West: What sizes do you offer?

Vanderpol: As I said, our line is very broad, but, depending on the tool, offsets on our boring heads range from 9/16” to 2”. Bore diameters range from 1/8” all the way to 21-1/2”. We’ve developed a lot of products over the years, and we’re very proud of the precision they deliver.

CNC West:What about tool life?

Vanderpol: (laughing) Well, let me put it this way. Every now and then we get in a head we sold 30 to 40 years ago. Our boring heads and modular systems represent capital investment. We wouldn’t survive very long if they didn’t deliver precision and long life. We think we make the best tools in the business.

CNC West: Okay, got it. You mentioned your Cri-Twin line and the new Cri-Tip line. What are they?

Vanderpol: Sure. The Cri-Twin products are double-bladed boring heads. They have two inserts, which permit faster cutting.

Better Mousetrap

CNC West: And the Cri-Tip? What does that do?

Vanderpol: I think the easiest way to understand the Cri-Tip system, which stands for Criterion Tool Interface Program, is to look at the razor and razor blade industry. You buy a razor, and you’re stuck using that company’s blades, which is good marketing sense. In the same way, if you buy any company’s modular boring system, you’re stuck buying their boring tools to go with it. That, of course, includes our own modular boring system. But with our Cri-Tip system, all that has changed.

CNC West: I don’t understand. Changed how?

Vanderpol: Okay, let me explain. Let’s say you have a Komet or a Kaiser modular boring system. And, let’s say you wanted to use one of our boring products with it. Previously you wouldn’t have been able to do it. Just like the razor blades. You can’t use a Kaiser tool with the Komet system or vice versa. But the Cri-Tip system makes available an interface connection that will connect with, say, the Komet modular system on one end, and all of our boring products on the other end. We have interface connections for both Komet and Kaiser. Now, a shop using either of those modular boring systems can use our boring heads and other tools any time they want to. All they need is our interface connector. With the Cri-Tip system, they have not only their company’s tool list to choose from, they also have ours.

CNC West: I may seem dense, Gary, but where’s the benefit to a shop in that? Doesn’t that just create confusion?

Vanderpol: Not really. There are several advantages. First, it gives the customer an option. Now, if he likes our finely adjustable tools better than his current vendor’s he has a way to switch without reinvesting in our modular system. All he needs is our interface. I know you don’t like to talk price in your magazine, so I won’t, but I will say that if you compare our tools with some of the others, you’ll find we’re very competitive.

CNC West: How old is this new system?

Vanderpol: It was introduced a year ago. So far, everyone who knows about the system thinks the concept is great. But it takes time to change old habits. Cri-Tip is available in both inch and metric versions, so it’s really versatile.

CNC West: What else do you guys have up your sleeves? Is the Cri-Tip system it for now?

Vanderpol: Actually, no. Bob Wahlstrom, our new sales manager, came to us from Command Corporation in January ‘02. And he has been very instrumental in helping us find and develop new product ideas. We have a new products group in the company that meets every month to evaluate new ideas and make recommendations. So we've been coming out with a lot of new products. We’re probably averaging six or eight new products or variations on existing ones per year right now. Currently our newest product is a balancing system. Bob really has been pushing us for new things.

The Future

CNC West: It sounds like the old company isn’t ready for the undertaker yet, so where are you headed? I mean what do you see in the near future for Criterion?

Vanderpol: Well, over the last seventy years we’ve survived the worst the economy has thrown at us and we’re doing very well. I guess I would just like to continue a good steady growth of, say, 5-7% a year. And, of course, we will continue to improve our services to our customers and end users. One thing is certain, though. People should keep their eyes on Criterion, because we aim to stay ahead of the curve, on the cutting edge, you might say, when it comes to producing innovative new boring products.

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