Is your manufacturing partner’s business built to thrive for the next 10 years, 20 years, and beyond?

Many of today’s precision machine shop owners are reaching retirement age without a clear succession plan, and the industry urgently needs new strategies if we hope to prevent shop closures and private equity acquisitions from defining the future of American manufacturing.    

My team and I are confronting threats to our industry head-on: investing in the latest equipment, upgrading our technologies, expanding into new trades, and training passionate employees—all to ensure a future of success for our shop, our customers, and our industry.

Here at Area Tool & Manufacturing, Inc., we’re not just manufacturing your parts; we’re manufacturing a legacy. 

Here’s how.

4 Signs Our Precision Machine Shop Is Here for the Long Haul

America runs on manufacturing, and its success on US soil is critical to our country’s economy and infrastructure. That’s why we care—why everyone should care—and why we take these steps to secure the future of manufacturing:

1. We invest in new equipment and technology

I'd love for Area Tool to be around for another 100 years. Of course, the only way to advance toward that goal is to invest in the latest machines and cutting-edge technology. Our focus on growth is why we regularly assess our shop floor for opportunities to optimize efficiency and quality. 

Sometimes, the investment is in time, and we’re rearranging our facility to streamline the precision machining experience for our team. Other times, the investment is financial, and we’re buying machines or tools or software that take our capabilities to the next level. No matter where the opportunity lies, we never stop investing in improvements that help us exceed your expectations and earn your business again and again.

2. We embrace new opportunities

Diversification is a hot topic among manufacturers because we know every industry experiences downturns, and every customer has a bad year at some point. 

We never pin all our hopes on a single customer’s success. Expanding into new trades helps us remain successful throughout natural economic fluctuations by ensuring we’re always serving at least one industry or one company that’s busy and thriving.

Area Tool & Manufacturing, Inc. acquired CD Archery for that very reason: to diversify and support enough unique customers that the currently “up” industries can offset the currently “down” industries and allow our shop to remain consistently healthy. 

3. We prioritize relationships

When you’ve partnered with a precision machine shop for years or decades, and that shop changes hands, your parts are at risk. Maybe the new owner consolidates and lays off several employees who held essential knowledge regarding your parts; now you’re starting over because the new team doesn’t know your parts or your business or you—and all the documentation in the world can’t replace that relationship.

The professional relationships we build with our customers are everything to us here at Area Tool & Manufacturing, Inc., and we’re focused on protecting all of the personalized knowledge that goes into those relationships. 

Whether we’re honing our precision machining processes or helping you refine your part’s design for increased quality and enhanced functionality, we’re always seeking to reinforce the relationship we’ve established with you. 

4. We pursue passionate employees

We build our team from within our community, and our local tech schools are an incredible source of manufacturing talent. We can provide skills training, so the top trait we look for is a passion for the trade. The best manufacturers are people who want to learn more, who proactively come to me and say, “Hey, I'm running a 3-axis mill right now, but I’d really like to learn 5-axis milling.” 

We want to give every team member the training they need to keep growing because anyone in our shop could be the next industry leader—either here in our shop or somewhere else. As a shop owner, I’m not just responsible for my shop until I retire; I’m part of a bigger story, and my employees can be, too.

The Future of Manufacturing Is Ours to Forge

As the daughter of the shop’s cofounder, I was born into manufacturing; it’s in my blood; and I have a responsibility to keep it going—not just my shop, but the industry I grew to love. 

My dream for all manufacturers is that we leave legacies that are bigger than reaching retirement or a lucrative acquisition. Our legacies should be, “We built businesses that will empower American manufacturing for generations to come.”

Request a quote to work with a shop that isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.