Leo Garcia, President of GME with his new Japanese made GEN TURN.
Leo Garcia was practically raised by investment casting, making a name for himself in an industry that demands skill and experience. “I started when I was 18 years old at a company in Culver City, Ca.,” tells GME President Leo Garcia. “Seventeen years after that I was Vice President. Seems like forever ago, and for the longest time it was the only thing I knew. I did it all, from worker, supervisor, manager, VP, and eventually when I opened GME we got off the ground as a mold maker for the golf industry, molds that would produce golf club heads to be made via the investment casting process.” Leo’s best known for his advancements in manufacturing processes for the golf industry. He was behind many of the innovations that allowed companies like Callaway to quickly and accurately mass produce the kind of drivers that put them on the map in the 1990s. Carving out a name in investment casting set Leo apart in a high-barrier, reputation-driven industry. When you deliver consistency, innovation, and customer support in this space, you’re not just a supplier—you’re a long term and valuable strategic partner. Leo harnessed all those attributes, and they are what drive GME today as a full-service milling and turning supplier for the aerospace, industrials, and automotive industries. GME have two buildings, one in Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. and another in neighboring Upland, Ca. Cucamonga is their primary manufacturing facility with 14,000 sq.ft., 22 employees, and 25+ CNC machining centers.
Leo is not shy when it comes to telling it as it is. He has no time for drama and admittedly he will never lose your business for lying, but he might for speaking the truth. “I don’t play political games,” chuckles Leo. “It got me in trouble in the corporate rat race but makes no difference now since the G in GME stands for Garcia. I’m a no BS type of person and I’ve gained more customers than I’ve lost because of it. If I say the part will be done, it will be, and I like to be treated the same. I’m very loyal, just give me the support I need, and I won’t compete against you. We used to only have mills, then I added center-less grinding, a CNC cut off saw, and now advanced turning centers. I was happy to farm out the work, but I couldn’t get the same kind of service and support that I provide to my customers. I’d get back poorly made parts, sometimes 30% were out of spec. It was getting out of hand, so I made the decision to bring it all in house. The CNC cut off saw paid for itself in 4 months, so that gives you an idea about how much was being sent out.”
The GEN TURN 36CS was the first Swiss style machine at GME. It was purchased with a specific set of parts in mind. Here it is running unattended and churning out precision weights for Leo’s soon to market putter.
Until a year ago GME didn’t have any kind of lathe, they practically needed an instruction manual to turn one on. When Leo bought the Upland shop, it came with turning capabilities, but it was like speaking a different language and they had no idea how to program them. “In Upland we have a Mori, a Haas and a recently added Doosan,” tells Leo. “They sat for a while because we didn’t have anyone to run them. I finally went over to figure them out, and it was just a different beast. I couldn’t spare anyone, so I took on the task of learning to program them. Well, it was eye opening on a lot of fronts. Once we got up and running, we learned how valuable an asset they could be. We went from getting bad parts to making good ones, and then I wanted more lathes. I didn’t know exactly what I was searching for, but Harvinder got me dialed in.” Leo found his way to Expand Machinery and discovered a kindred spirit in Expand’s CEO, Harvinder Singh. “I like that Harvinder does what he says, and the GEN TURNs deliver the performance as promised,” tells Leo. “Harvinder makes the buying process easy and offers flexible options, options I’ve never seen before in this industry. The service pre- and post-sale has been nothing short of great. I liked the GEN TURNs so much I bought my first GEN MILL from him last month.”
After reviewing the demands needed to produce a specific family of parts Leo was guided to the GEN TURN 36CS. He took delivery of it in 2024 and was right away pleased with the speed and accuracy it delivered. “The GEN TURN 36CS is a 7-axis CNC Swiss-type lathe designed for high-precision, multi-tasking operations,” explains Leo. “It has a 36mm bar capacity, sliding headstock, and enhanced rigidity. The 36CS’s robust 8,000-pound base ensures stability and precision, delivering repeatable accuracy within ±0.0002” all day long.” The GEN TURN 36CS features dual spindles (main and sub) operating at up to 6,000 RPM, enabling simultaneous front and back machining. True Y-axis travel of 19.29” and dual C-axis control allow for complex milling, drilling, and tapping operations. Equipped with 27 tool positions, including 11 driven tools, the 36CS supports a wide range of machining tasks. Live tooling is gear-driven, providing up to 4,000 RPM for cross and front slide tools. Additional features include a parts catcher, chip conveyor, dual coolant pumps, and a 63-gallon coolant tank, making the GEN TURN 36CS a versatile and efficient solution for complex part production in industries like aerospace, medical, and automotive. “We’ve never had a lathe, now we have traditional turning and two Swiss style machines,” continues Leo. “The 36CS was such a success that I recently purchased one of Expand’s new Japanese made machines, the CW42MY”
Left – This torque wrench part is completed in one op on the new GEN TURN
Right – The CW42MY is a twin spindle, twin turret machine with live tooling a Y axis.
The GEN TURN CW42MY is a high-performance Swiss-style CNC lathe that is made in Japan. Designed for high-speed, high-accuracy production, the CW42MY is known for its precision, reliability, and versatility in complex part machining. With a 42mm bar capacity the CW42MY is equipped with two spindles—a main and a sub-spindle—for seamless front and back machining. It includes live tooling with Y-axis capability, allowing for complex milling, drilling, and off-center operations in a single setup. The machine supports up to 36 tools, significantly reducing tool change downtime and enhancing production flexibility. Its rigid cast iron base and advanced thermal stability ensure minimal vibration and high repeatability, even in long production runs. The CW42MY’s dual-channel FANUC control offers intuitive programming and high-speed data processing, supporting simultaneous machining on both spindles. This lathe excels in precision component manufacturing for industries GME supports. The combination of multi-axis machining, ample tool capacity, and Japanese engineering excellence make it a standout machine for shops demanding speed, accuracy, and efficiency in a compact footprint. “The advantage of the Gen Turns is a finished part dropped right from the machine,” explains Leo. No second operations are needed. When it comes to our industrial and automotive customers we are vying for business against a lot of overseas manufacturing. The advanced capabilities allow us to compete globally on pricing, and our customers retain their valuable “Made in the USA” reputation. The 36CS was a huge gain for us in performance, and the CW42 is still too new to proclaim perfection, but all signs point to it over delivering.”
The GEN MILL 3120 was just installed. Eleazar works with the programmer
as they prove out the program for its first production run.
Leo prefers having all the same kind of machines, and you can tell by the 20 or so Fadal mills running nonstop in GME’s Rancho facility. “I like the redundancy, I like being able to move things around as needed, and I like that everything is similar, if not the exact same,” tells Leo. “For the parts we run, the Fadals have served us well. I still really appreciate the work we get off the VMC 15XT, it is an under-appreciated machine tool. Our Fadals are a reliable workhorse, but they are aging out, and I’m beginning the process of replacing them with modern high performance milling centers. I’m looking at different options but based on my satisfaction with the GEN TURN machines I just took delivery of a GEN MILL 3120. We are in the process of setting up now. We do a lot of 3 axis work, 3+1 and 3+2, and are limited on space so I wanted a machine with a lot of features in a compact size. On paper, the MILL 3120 goes above and beyond, but we are not into production running on it yet. I have no doubts that it will meet or exceed my expectations. Harvinder is one of those guys that if it isn’t exactly what was promised he will make it right. The 3120 is equipped as a 4+1 axis giving us flexibility by adding multi sided milling without losing the ability to utilize the table.”
GME delivers aerospace quality across the board to all their customers. “We have only one way of manufacturing,” explains Leo. “And that’s delivering the best part we can, every time. It doesn’t matter if it goes on an F-18 or is a handle on a small torque wrench, the process and our quality is the same. We have a very experienced crew. One of my workers has been with me for 30 years. Eleazar Hernández was my first employee when I opened GME. You’ll also notice that nearly half my workforce here is women. The operator on the GEN TURNS is a woman who has been with me around 4 years. Like many of my employees she came to us with no manufacturing experience, but we have internal training for machines and QC. Here everyone is responsible for quality. If you ask to see my quality manager, I will let you pick any member of my team.” GME’s recent investment in new machining centers created a bottleneck in QC. Their newfound speed was making it harder for QC to keep up with production, so Leo just purchased a Hexagon Romer Absolute portable measuring arm. “Not many shops our size can justify investing in this type of scanning technology,” explains Leo. “It is so fast, easy to use and accurate. We are still undergoing training on it, that’s how new it is.”
After a corporate career in investment casting, opening his own mold making company, and then reinventing the company into a more traditional CNC manufacturer, Leo has achieved more than most. For a guy who likes to talk, you will not find anyone more humble. He wasn’t at liberty to divulge his large industrial customer, but as someone who grew up in Upland, and now lives in Cucamonga, I am more than thrilled to know that my torque wrench is made down the street. Leo undersells the fact that on a lot of his part numbers he is competing with overseas manufacturers. Being able to develop proprietary work holding and fixtures to keep a basic hand tool manufactured in the USA is a real feat. He is applying that same know how on his latest endeavor, a new style of putter. “We created, designed, manufacturing and are close to launching an adjustable weight putter,” concludes Leo. “There is a threaded weight that goes in the head to adjust for different course conditions. The weights are being run on the GEN TURN 36CS right now. Each one is the same exact weight down to the gram. Without new machines like the GEN TURN we wouldn’t be able to manufacturer it inhouse. This is another example of how better manufacturing techniques can keep a product from being make overseas. Most golf clubs are not made here anymore, and we think there is a market for high quality, made in the USA specialty clubs.”
Not many shops of this size have a Romer Arm, and Leo is quite proud of his latest addition. Eleazar Hernández is utilizing the touch probe to inspect an aerospace part. The arm is so new that they were getting training on it the day CNC West Magazine was onsite.