Shop Solutions Continued from page 50


a week. The FMS cell required just one. “We’re not going to lay employees off because now we can cut costs,” Miller explained, “Yes, we could, but we can also reduce costs by keeping them employed and putting them in lean and con- tinuous improvement activities around the shop.” By better utilizing its personnel, Miller Welding was able to perform more kaizen events throughout the organization. The first-hand experience of the operators gave them the ability to know how to improve a manufacturing operation or area.


In the meantime, Miller Welding is still working on feeding the beast. Along with its usual fabrication jobs, the installation of the FMS has allowed the company to penetrate other markets. “I’ve been telling everybody that knows me, ‘If you’ve got anything that fits in a 30" [762-mm] cube, I want to machine it for you,’” Miller said, “I can’t get enough work for that machine.” ME For more information from Toyoda Machinery, go to www.toyoda.com; or phone 847-253-0340.


CNC Provides Shop with Needed Flexibility


B


aum Machine (Appleton, WI) is one of the most complete custom machine shops in northeast Wisconsin. Baum’s capabilities include prototype and quantity production runs on a wide variety of machined and simple or complex fabricated components. To meet their customers’ requirements, Baum requires flexibility, not just from their people, but also from their equipment.


The word flexibility has taken on special meaning when it came to selecting the automation products that Baum decided to use. “We have to have the flexibility of the products to grow with us,” said Karl Hornick, lead machine rebuild electrician. “Baum Machine, which started out as a small one-machine op- eration in 1989, has expanded into a multi-tiered business in a 55,000 ft2


[5110 m2 ] state-of-the-art facility. In other words, we


are growing in only one direction and that is up,” said Hornick. What Baum Machine understands is that business growth can only happen when both people and equipment maintain the flexibility to compete in today’s manufacturing environment with an eye toward what will be required in tomorrow’s environment.


Baum Machine’s capabilities include prototype and quantity production runs on a wide variety of machined and simple or complex components.


As Fagor Automation (Elk Grove Village, IL) has learned over the years, Baum is very serious about ensuring that their products can meet strict flexibility requirements and has selected its CNC control products with an eye toward meeting the requirements of legacy equipment as well as the latest state-of-the-art machines. “We have machines that still require analog servo com- mands. On new installations, however, we will require digital


106 ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | April 2014


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