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CNC WEST December 2017 /January 2018 www.CNC-West.com 53 applied a suggestion I made about tool library man- agement a few years ago. I told Kelly how I utilized the available 200 tools in the Haas tool offset page to more quickly set up tools when I ran a shop for L3 Communications. Kelly saw the benefits, but more importantly adapted it to best fit his shop and the type of work they do after analytically considering the different unique challenges they face. Workholding is an excellent example of Kelly’s ability to think laterally. There are many more great work- holding options today than when I started in this industry 17 years ago. After analyzing his work, Kelly easily justified adding HRT210 rotaries shortly after buying his first VF2SS and added one with his sec- ond VF2SS purchase. When Kelly started looking for workholding solutions for his rotaries he found a lot of good options but none really solved all the chal- lenges he faced in his shop. Using his lateral thinking skills, Kelly developed his own universal modular workholding system that can quickly adapt to the high mix of work that flows through his shop. I have yet to see anything like the system he developed for his workflow, and it fits what he does very well. This is a perfect example of lateral thinking. Lastly, Kelly showed his critical thinking skills as we discussed machine tools. We were sharing our mutual desire to own a Matsuura MAM 72-35V. Kelly simply broke down the type of work he does, the cost of the machine, other machine combinations he could buy for that same amount of money, and paint- ed a clear and unemotional decision process for how it didn’t make sense for his business right now. Employees: It is no secret that our trade has an alarming shortage of skilled workers. I asked Kelly how he could find 6 good people with the shortage our industry has. Kelly told me that while some of it is good luck with listing job openings on Craigslist, he cares more about finding good people that he can train rather than finding experienced people. He is investing in training his employees on HSM CAM software and focusing on using each individual em- ployee’s strengths. We discussed our hopes of new programs like Sierra College’s CNC program feeding our industry with a strong work force. But for now, Kelly accepts that he must train workers for his shop. I don’t think it’s fair to summarize anyone’s business in just two pages. But, I hope Kelly’s strengths showcase a few important takeaways that can be implemented in any company. Thank you, Kelly Johnson from Precision Manufac- turing Company, for sharing your business insight. www.PrecisionManufacturingCompany.com