Out of the Ashes

On Feb. 24, 2012, shortly after 1:30 a.m., Rochester, N.Y., fire crews were dispatched to the building of T & L Automatics Inc. A worker was performing a cutting operation when sparks ignited the coolant being used, forcing the six employees to evacuate the structure. Thankfully, there were no reported injuries in this three-alarm fire.

While many machines and equipment were destroyed in the fire, owner Tom Hassett had a vision that even a fire couldn’t keep down. He asked his friends and vendors for help, and he was able to keep his company running. Within a year, he not only rebuilt what he had lost but he also continued with his plans for growth and added new Eurotech Elite Rapido machines.
 

T & L’s Vision

Four years before the fire, T & L Automatics took a new market direction. Hassett decided to search out better precision work in higher markets, such as medical, aerospace, defense, and fluid power. Anticipating change in market demand, he also took a step from screw machine work to move into advanced multi-axis CNC machining. He chose to purchase a Eurotech 835SLY to enter this new market. He trained on his own machine with the assistance of the Eurotech engineers and began producing precision parts within weeks.

T & L has since invested in four Eurotech models since the fire: These machines not only reduce machinist set-up time and increase production rate, they also eliminate multiple set-ups, time, and errors. Feature-to-feature accuracy is improved, shorter tools that are more rigid can be used, higher spindle/cutting tool speeds can be achieved, and the load is reduced on the cutting tool. These features have allowed the workers at T & L Automatics to take on tough machining challenges, competing in the higher end markets that require high precision complex machining with microscopic tolerances.

“The learning curve for the multiple-axis Eurotechs was exciting,” Hassett states, “and it only took a couple of weeks to understand that being careful with commands for movement is the first order of business. While being trained by Eurotech in those 2 weeks, we got our first projects running really well and meeting expectations.”
 

Return on Investment

“With a fast machine,” Hassett explains, “you can offset the cost and, over time, get the machine for free.”

Return on assets is a main concern in the manufacturing business. The formulas are simple: more parts per hour at the same labor charge for each piece and your return per hour is higher. If the labor content of a part is $3.00 each and you invest in a machine that will generate 20 pieces per hour instead of a cheaper unit that will produce 17 pieces per hour, the additional return for the more expensive machine is $9.00 per hour. Given a 40-hour week and two shifts, that’s an increase in labor dollars of $720.00 per week or $3,096.00 per month, on average. From here, users just need to look at debt service. How much more per month is the more expensive machine costing? If the faster machine will cost $1,000.00 more per month and all works well, there is $2,000.00 each month to use to reduce debt or put on the bottom line. Therefore, the parts-per-hour offset the machine payment. The higher technology gives better throughput, and that pays for the machine.

T & L Automatics
Rochester, N.Y.
www.tandlautomatics.com

Eurotech Elite
Brooksville, Fla.
www.eurotechelite.com

Elizabeth Engler Modic is editor of TMD and can be reached at emodic@gie.net.