Mathy Machine founder Jay Mathy with his Mori Seiki SL-3 lathe. Circa 1985.
Santee, CA. based Mathy Machine Inc. officially opened the doors in 1975, but Jay Mathy has spent his entire life in San Diego as a machinist. What began as a small shop with a couple of guys and manual machines in El Cajon, CA. has evolved into an ISO9001 manufacturing powerhouse with advanced turning and milling centers.
TIME
“Time and change are the big story of Mathy Machine Inc.” tells general manager Bryan Mathy. “Dad is of the generation who really had to hone their craft to be the artisans that they are. He created a name for himself in a variety of industries by making great parts. We started out as a job shop with general milling and turning. His shaft work really got him noticed as a skilled machinist. He was doing incredible things with Hardinge chuckers. They had speed tooling setups that were state of the art back in the day. I wish we still had a chucker machine sitting in the lobby. It would give a great timeline for the company. Manual, to NC, to CNC, to multi axis. I don’t want to give away his age, but dad has spent more than half a century as a machinist. One thing about him is his ability to adapt and implement new technologies. Going from all manuals to NC was a huge gain in accuracy and efficiency, then again moving on to CNC. Now look at what this industry is capable of. It is staggering to think about the changes in his lifetime, and what could be instore for mine.”
Mathy Machine’s DMG Mori NHX4000 Horizontal Machine Center is a robust machine with a small footprint and powerful features
Mathy Machine really took off by utilizing cutting-edge tech of the time to keep ahead of rival companies. Punch tape seem so slow and cumbersome now, but when they were new it revolutionized the industry. Jay was onboard right away, and Mathy Machine was one of the first in the area to make the switch to NC. It kept them competitive in a changing world, giving Jay an edge on the production runs he was now targeting. He was also able to go after more high precision type aerospace jobs. “Our specialty for a long time was gimbles for rocket guidance systems,” tells Bryan. “They were weight driven so at launch the rocket would start spinning and the gimble would balance the rocket out. We made thousands of these assemblies over the years.”
The 80s saw Jay commit to half a dozen Mori Seiki CNC machine tools in a single purchase. It impressed his growing number of aerospace customers, but more importantly elevated their overall performance and capabilities. As a job shop, they serviced customers of all types and sizes. Everything from aerospace, military, utilities, and automotive, to medical, and commercial applications. All accounts saw the benefits from the new fleet of Mori Seiki. “We’ve always been very versatile, and I will give you a couple examples,” explains Bryan. “My dad met so many customers through his hobbies and from word of mouth. From the get-go we had motorcycle companies, all sorts of offroad and racing customers mixed in with aerospace work. Our clients are a diverse bunch, but most have roots planted in the San Diego area, companies like Protec Arisawa and GA-ASI. One of our long-term aerospace customers was featured a few issues ago in CNC West called General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI). They are probably best known for their drones, but we make a ton of parts for them. They’ve been a customer so long we used to take revision changes over the phone. Things like that would never fly today, but it built this level of trust that is undeniable. They are a fantastic customer, and we are a number one supplier to them, earning their top rating ever year by supplying better than 98% quality and delivery.” Not aerospace, but equally challenging when it comes to materials and tolerances is their commercial customer Protec Arisawa. Protec Arisawa is a global leader for the design and the manufacturing of fiber reinforced plastic pressure vessels for membrane filtration systems used in desalinization. “They function in the harshest environments and have high standards for all their parts,” adds Bryan. “A lot of what we machine for Protec Arisawa is made from extremely difficult materials to machine like Super Duplex, 316 SST and Zeron.”
CHANGE
Bryan Mathy has been with the company his entire life in the fashion most kids are involved in the family business. He spent summers on the shop floor in high school, took classes related to engineering, and followed the traditional path of a second-generation machinist. He’s spent the last ten years in management positions and became general manager in 2023. Bryan immediately set his sights on Mathy Machine’s next 50 years by targeting ISO, Google, advanced machine tools, and cyber security. “We’ve always relied on word of mouth and let our quality speak for us,” tells Bryan. “All the years of making great parts, building relationships, and helping customers doesn’t hold as much worth these days, and that’s ok. We embrace the challenge of making Mathy Machine stand out from the rest.”
Mathy’s Doosan DNM 5700S with 4th axis capabilities is one of the newest machines in the shop. It is perfect for their high speed precision requirements.
More and more buyers sit behind Google and pick their venders from internet searching. So, first thing Bryan did was revamp the website. It was quick, and easy, and he can instantly see if the internet marketing is paying off. “My key objectives since becoming GM are to increase sales by earning more business from existing customers and to get noticed by new ones. One of my top priorities was getting us ISO9001 certified. All these years we’ve been compliant, built out the manuals, done all the processes, but never had a cert. I think it is a generational difference where my predecessor felt it was more of a hassle than it was worth. At some point in time there was a perceived stigma attached to ISO that they held on to. To me it is a great management tool and to them it was seen as a burden and that somehow you were going to be told how to run your business. None of it is true. You write everything to fit your business model within their guidelines. As a small business the hardest part was doing the research and finding an economical way to get certified. I couldn’t just spend, spend, spend and hire a company to come in and do it all for us, but I also had never been through the process myself and needed some guidance.”
Bryan sat down and began with the basics, narrowing down his search based on his objectives of time, cost, and not burdening the business in the process. “I began my search online and started calling people who could consult or at least guide us in the right direction,” explains Bryan. “Our leadership team met with everyone from former shop owners that now just do ISO consulting to mega firms that charge you a ton and just do everything. We needed a certification expert that specialized in companies like Mathy Machine. I wanted to utilize our team and our experience, not create a new way of doing business.”
Left – The Okuma LB3000 EXII is one of seven lathes utilized at Mathy Machine. They also have Mori Seiki and Haas turning centers. Right – To assist with some of their more complex turning jobs, Mathy’s Haas ST-20Y lathe has an 8” Chuck, sub spindle, bar feeder, and live tooling.
Bryan found My ISO Consultants that really jelled with his team. Utilizing Mathy’s proven techniques developed over time and molding them into the ISO standards was easier than expected. “Back in the day management was concerned that the paperwork would be overwhelming. It isn’t that much more paperwork. The upfront building of the documents was work, but we started the process at the beginning of the year and were done in 3 months. We met weekly to go over manual, policy procedures, and fine tune everything. Then we’d discuss the next policy procedure, then do the same thing. Eventually we got an internal audit by their company. They send down another person, you give them the tour, they quiz everyone, make sure everything is documented on a travelor or folder, auditing POs and prove it. You are compliant at that point and then a 3rd party does the same thing. We had one minor finding; an easy fix and we were ISO9001 certified. We are not ready for AS9100 certification, but we made sure to bake in some extras into our ISO that companies like GA-ASI want to see like part marking and identification. Being fully traceable lets your customer know you will work to resolve any issues.”
Cyber security is a growing need, and one Bryan has taken a liking to. So much so that he can consult on the matter. Besides their ISO9001 certification Mathy Machine is ITAR registered and CMMC 2.0 level 2 Cybersecurity compliant. “CMMC 2.0 Level 2 cybersecurity represents a crucial milestone in the evolving landscape of digital defense,” explains Bryan. “This level emphasizes the need for organizations like Mathy Machine to establish a more robust security posture. At Level 2, we are required to implement and document practices that enhance our ability to safeguard sensitive information. This includes access control, asset management, and incident response planning. By achieving Level 2 compliance, we demonstrate our commitment to protecting not only our own data but also the valuable information entrusted to us by our customers. Anyone reading this can feel free to reach out to me to discuss how they can get started. When I began looking into it, I was dumbfounded by the cost so I knew I would have to do most of the work myself. I see cyber security consulting as a great opportunity to add another revenue stream. We are looking for companies to partner with that want to save some time and money.”
The Starrett HDV 400 Horizontal Digital Video Comparators combine the best features of an optical comparator and a vision metrology system.
With 14,000 sq.ft. and 18 employees’ space is at a premium. Having the right tools to maximize efficiency in a job shop environment is important. The last few years Mathy Machine has invested in the latest Doosan and DMG Mori precision machining centers. “Replacing and adding machines is always a challenge for a shop like ours,” tells Bryan. “We sometimes have a specific part or need in mind that would improve things overall, but most often we look towards future usage. I don’t want to invest in a so-so machine with ok capabilities when I can future proof it by spending more. Sometimes that spend is a lot, but often it isn’t that much more to add in options that will literally change your life. Our milling department is made up of Okuma, Haas, Doosan, and DMG Mori. Most of our mills have 4th axis capabilities and we have one 5 axis. In turning we have Okuma, Mori Seiki, and a Haas with live tooling.” Their newest machines are a Doosan DNM5700S and a DMG Mori NHX4000. These additions are a result of the company’s focus to improve the overall capabilities, and specifically, their high-speed precision machining. “I think the Doosan DNM 5700S provides best-in-class vertical machining that is perfect for high-speed precision requirements,” touts Bryan. “It has a high speed chilled BIGPLUS spindle, good torque and horsepower, generous travel for the size of the machine, plenty of tools and 4th axis capabilities. The DMG Mori NHX4000 horizontal provides for high-efficiency, continuous, mass production machining. It is a robust machine with a small footprint and powerful features. The accuracy is amazing thanks to oversized linear guides, and 15k RPM spindle. It’s well-appointed with all the bells and whistles including the latest controls. These equipment additions reflect our commitment to superior quality, and customer satisfaction.”
“In the last half century Mathy Machine has seen the world of manufacturing change, and we are fortunate enough to have embraced it from the beginning,” concludes Bryan. “All the new machines in the world won’t help you if you don’t have the expertise and experience to run them. And all the years in business isn’t valuable if you’re not able to evolve. Continuous improvement isn’t just part of our ISO it’s been our way of life since 1975 and will be for at least another 50 years.”