A manager should be a people "expert" and be reasonable well informed about the work he manages. He doesn't need to know everything, but needs to understand if he doesn't know something and has no shame letting the machinist explain it to him. Nobody needs to be perfect, but the most important skill is being open to learn new things. Wanting to be better every day.

@daveyt4802

11 ай бұрын

Our current managers are like this. They are not the sharpest, but they listen and "get it."

@k53847

11 ай бұрын

The manager doesn't need to be an expert, he needs to know how to hire experts and know who to trust. Most of his time should be spent on hiring, planning and managing his managers expectations and figuring out how to accomplish whatever it is they want him to get done. But there is a lot to be said for spending time walking around and seeing what is going on and asking questions.

Perfect timing. I may show this video to a group next week. I have to give a talk on a related subject. I managed my company's toolroom and machine building operation for 22 years, now semi-retired. I agree with your points 100%. I came up through being a machine operator then getting my journeyman' tool & die card after a 4-year apprenticeship. After that got a BS in Mechanical Engineering going to night classes. Not the easiest path but it served me very well through my career. Easiest isn't best in all situations. Having a solid understanding of all the machining principles gave me the "street cred" on the shop floor. Having the education gave me the confidence to deal with engineers and managers who needed guidance. Lessons I learned - Never let an opportunity to train get wasted, no matter how small. It may sound cliche but it's the rule. For 20 years I trained people to take small parts of my job so I could take parts of my boss's job. It made other's job more interesting, built leaders, and helped the company overall. Letting your people know you have confidence in them to do the right thing is critical. Let them run with ball. Give them the credit for jobs well done. Let them know about a problem and let them solve it. I never blamed my people as I always took the heat from management for the odd occasion something went wrong, then had a private conversation with my people if needed. I had such a great crew when I left because they were motivated to be involved every day. It's a rare thing and I was quite fortunate. I've seen crews of very good machinists just wasted because of arrogant, egotistical management. How does that happen? As I said, I'm semi-retired. I'm witnessing it happen right now in my consulting work. This company put a particular supervisor in charge of a critical machine area who they think could run things. This person has zero knowledge of metal cutting and in my opinion is only set up to fail due to that lack of knowledge. The top 2 guys in the department just took early retirement because they didn't want to put up with it. Now what? To be honest, I think the skills and knowledge that is required of machinists is not fully appreciated by management that didn't come from the shop floor. I will end my little rant here. Thanks for the video!

@Sebastian-ed5kt

11 ай бұрын

thanks for sharing, as a young machinists and new Meister i really appreciate your shared knowledge and you highlighted exactly what i learned during my apprenticeship while supervising my fellow apprentices 👍

@MYGiTHSE

11 ай бұрын

Didnt expect to read the whole thing but that captured me. Very well said/written. All of those things are happening at my work aswell and im on the floor producing various items. I might just show this to my management. I might get fired for doing this, that is how bad it is. I can't have some input on anything then i might get a warning or get fire..

I am part of a Formula Student team and one of the main guys, when it comes to maching parts. If someone comes to me and asks me how something could be done, I always ask first: "How would you do it?" Because sometimes they have a verry good strategy that just needs some experience to work. If you do this, you often get solutions that are out of the box and much more efficient then you may have come up with. Don't underestimate or ignore new guys. They are often the key to advancement. Greetings from Germany

@nathanthomas8184

11 ай бұрын

Correct weight

@enricodesign619

11 ай бұрын

i love that answer

Both, but if I could only choose one then it would be a manager with people-skills. A good manager doesn't need to know how to solve technical issues, but should know who to ask for help. A good manager understands that technical issues aren't the employee's fault. Instead of asking "Why is it taking you so long?" a good manager would ask "What do you need to overcome this hurdle?" Just keep in mind that a good manager can also be managed by a bad manager.

Same at my last job. Comes with a complex part 'I need this at the end of the day.' Sure, show me how and I will do it. Didn't stay long there.

Worked a shop in Menomonee Falls, WI. We manufactured large water jet and flame cutter gantry mills. One week efficiency engineers showed up with dual stop watch clipboards... Stood beside us and... each us agreed the next day when they showed up, we shut off our machine tools and declared: "I feel a long dump coming on, see ya in a half hour"! 😮 The " engineers were gone the next day. 😅 Non union shop good wages, we kept it that way. 😊

Man this exact situation happened to me yesterday. I told myself, spouse and fellow co workers that I will no longer be trying to add value using critical thinking because of the uppers mindset of "my way for the highway". Everyone agreed with me. One-sidedness really does create warm bodied button pushers.

They should know both very well. The more that you understand what's going on in the shop, the more that you can help your people get through the rough processes and reach the goal with as little stress as possible. Communication is just as important as hands-on knowledge.

I worked as a Senior Process Engineer for a second tier automotive supplier. We were making ultra close tolerance armature shafts for a fuel pump. A buyer came in from Ford and asked what would it take to make the part EXACTLY to the mean dimensions; ZERO deviation. I went back to my desk and brought back a set of vernier calipers, the old kind that didn’t even have a dial. I said “I’m not sure what these cost anymore but I can promise you that if you have your quality people measure all the dimensions with this you’ll never record any deviation.” The Ford Engineer and Ford QC guys present just smiled. I then left the meeting and expected to be reprimanded or fired. The meeting continued and we went on to make millions of these each year for over a decade holding tolerances as close as +/- 1 micron.

@johnburden4727

11 ай бұрын

Well played, sir, well played!

Been cutting 316 stainless for 35 years. Stainless tells you if you have chosen the correct tool, speeds & feeds. I haven't found a tool that last forever. I had a manager over the shop once. I would have to give him time sheets on the jobs each Friday. Honestly for no reason. Just so he could do spreadsheets the next week on it. He didn't know the 4 guys in the shop by name. It took 6 months before he stepped in the shop and introduced himself.

Answer to your question is: BOTH! But, I think finding a good “people person” is a taller order than teaching machining technology to one. I went to college (70’s) for Sociology & Psychology (Social-Psychology: the study of people in groups), but spent 45 yrs in machine shops (better money!) My experience was it’s much harder to address the interpersonal relations skills than the technical subject matter. Your video content today was absolutely spot on! and detailed one of the trade’s anomalies that is too often overlooked and unaddressed. Most excellent topic and presentation! Bravo!

I'd think that it might be easier to teach someone who is a "people person" the bare minimum they need to know about the technical aspects of the job than it would be to teach a technically-minded person without many soft skills how to be a good leader. A non-technical manager who is a good listener and good leader will know who to ask for help when faced with a major technical problem; a highly technical manager in a similar situation is likely to try and fix the problem themselves and may not be able to effectively communicate what they learned from the experience. Having both is best, but if you only get one or the other a manager who can delegate and isn't too afraid or proud to ask for help is better than the alternative. Case in point: a former coworker of mine was one of the best people on the floor at that facility. Over nearly 20 years, he became one of the most skilled and experienced people in that department and was well-liked by both his fellow floor guys and by management. The department supervisor retired and senior management decided to promote the best of the grunts to be the next supervisor, thinking that his practical experience would be a great indicator of success at the managerial level....but they didn't realize that technical proficiency =/= management proficiency, and they didn't do anything to help develop his supervisory and management skills. "Here's a promotion, good luck!" He would have been happy to take some online or after-work courses on things like managerial techniques, computer skills, and other things that would have helped him in his new role, but senior management felt those things were unnecessary. After about three years of working more hours with more stress and little to show for it personally or in terms of quality/productivity for the department as a whole, he decided to go back to being a lead man on the floor and someone else took over the supervisor slot.

The best players rarely make the best coaches. But the best coaches must know how to play the game. I thought this was a video had deep wisdom, a manager that doesn’t understand what they are managing will always be terrible, but the best machinists will rarely make for the best managers.

@turb0diesel

11 ай бұрын

@@diegocarr5965 Its not my voice creating the sounds you hear.

I recall at my last job I had a manager who didn't understand the job I was hired for so he'd give me work to do right before my shift was meant to end expecting me to be able to just write up the code, set up the machine and machine the parts in a few minutes or try to chew me out for sitting at the computer even if I had only been there for 5 minutes writing up code. managers need to understand the jobs they're managing and how to interact with the employees to allow them to do their jobs.

Expert in the people surpasses raw specific knowledge in the trade. Knowing the end results/quality/standards is a must regardless.

It's always a two way street.Good managers need good employee's..A shop doesn't work with ether of those lacking.A good shop can improve everyone involved...

sadly this is the majority in all fields, that managers and higher up who have no clue how to due the essential work that get done and basic details and knowledge it really hurts everyone and divides the work place. love your video and message being said here. this message runs deeper than you know.

A good manager is someone that truly understands the task at hand. There is an art to listening and understanding what it takes to make an efficient work flow. Knowing the trade, leaving the ego at the door and being a team player are qualities that is hard to find. I see in many small to large companies their team leaders are the wrong ones for the job. I think a lack of knowledge and ego are the main two ingredients when it comes to poor management. We cannot know it all but we can all continue to learn from other more knowledgeable people around us but when the ego maniac ingredient is tossed into the pot... we’ll good luck with that. Much love and gratitude.

Our manager was an old-school machinist with the mentality of, if it isn't broke, don't change it. His old school skills were often very helpful, but he had little faith in change. He's now retired and his position never filled for about 3 years running now. It seems our supervisors are quite capable of managing their own departments and communicating with each other to keep the shop running smoothly.

@dominic6634

11 ай бұрын

what about a new school machinist with 4-year degrees

Find a tool that never wears out and doesn't leave any burrs on the part... If you find that tool hit me up! Ima order 12 dozen of those... Those words come from a species we call "Fachidioten" in german... Been there done that and seen quite a lot of those. "I have higher 'qualification' so i am right and you can go shutup and load those machines." Love those like the pocks... And they also are really not worth keeping in your bussiness. The best you can have for the workshop and office teamwork is a machinist that know's what the stuff costs and actually cares to "make money" from what he has and for the guy behind the desk it's really preferrable to have a senior machinist or technician that already have some machine time under his belt. They know what's up and often can resolve issues with customers right on the spot on the phone before the become solid problems in the workshop later. And if managment doesn't see problems like those on the rise or won't listen to their guys that some things are not going alright. They should listen to their people. Or those people should go check for another company to work for. Thats my 2 cent on that. Thanks for the shoutout o7 And as usual! Love your vids!!!

I worked as a CNC laser operator and my previous manager was a chef, he was only 24 years old, he got his job because he was a close friend of the owner, i worked there for 7 months and saw over 20 operators come and go. I complained to the MD and got told mind my own business. So i did and left 😂 now they have made nearly half the staff redundant 😮

@stanislavtimanov

11 ай бұрын

Also have the same situation

@CountryTesla

11 ай бұрын

This in Kansas?

@T3-RIDER

11 ай бұрын

@@CountryTesla nope, Staffordshire in the UK 😅

@CountryTesla

11 ай бұрын

@@T3-RIDER Wow, local or worldwide, same songs! Middle of the US, young airforce chef friend of upper management became 2nd tier, all the good operators quit or fired as he hired in a tiktok crew. Hope they're still afloat with weaker production.

The worst part is that you cant explain it to him because either he dont want to understand or dont want

I work for a guy right now that thinks no matter the drill size depth of hole or material the time to make the hole is the same .

@kylec748

11 ай бұрын

Kinda got the same thing. But it’s the owners son. They took over the company from his uncle that passed about 8 years ago and they have no clue how any of this stuff works. All tools are HSS and when I asked for carbide to help the process and change it so it’ll move faster. We switched from 0-6 steel to 0-1. I was told okay and then never got the tools to do so. I’ve asked for about 4 months and then he finally got a carbide end mill but only because the maintenance guy that comes in to fix our machines told him to get a carbide end mill. And that the process of cutting these parts isn’t the best. I got one tool that isn’t the size I needed and now we’re back to square one🙃

a manager should be an expert in the job that get trained to manage peoples, the most importent is that they know if something is possible before ordering peoples to do the impossible i allready worked with one that believed metal chips were springs, and was surprised that his shop was making these "parts", yeah its was to that level of foolishness and he cared more about how we looked like we worked hard more than actually being productive

Best managers to me are the ones who get it done well and someone who you respect and look up to. NO BS. I have seen them, but they don't stick around long. Too busy moving up the ladder.

Both. A person with a good personality and good machining background would be a huge value to a company. A good personality in a person can connect to people, employees and managers. With a good understanding of a manufacturing background he or she can link them both together. They can explain how the process works to upper management instead of upper management barking orders and not understanding why there not getting done properly or on time. Sad to say to say those people with those skills are under paid or few far in-between. If your that person that can bridge machining/manufacturing with management you are a gem right for the picking

I’d make a distinction here in management: the supervisor needs very much to be a subject matter expert. And use that knowledge to help people when they need it and to head off problems before they start. The Manager doesn’t need to be an SME. They need to have a reasonably good understanding of the process. But their focus should be on making the supervisor and Machinists jobs easier. The best boss I ever had said that it was his job to move roadblocks. And that if I didn’t call him, he would assume that everything was working. But if I called him, he’d jump on whatever obstacle was in my way. And he stayed true to that, and it was great.

@enricodesign619

11 ай бұрын

thats the kind of manager i think i was, its not really up to me to tell if i was, but i tried to be like that

im glad you took the other side in the video also, as a former manager of cnc guys. iv had some runs in's that could build frustration on both sides. As a manager, its my job to get things done in time, and i like to ask the guys what time it takes before hand, and listen to that, but for some reason, sometimes the times slip, ok, it happens, we get better and better. But here is the point, be honest with everyone, if i as the manager ask, what time does it take, come with a good guess, I'll take it and i'll also make a markup on it, so you have more time, but if it then slips, then as a machinist, own your mistake, its ok, we all make them, maybe you could not do it the way you wanted, we are here for the money and having a good time, dont come with excuses, you manager is not an idiot, even if you think (and properly are right) that you know lots more about machining than him. he took your input, and is trying to make it happen, in that time agreed. and also, tell your manager if you have a good idea, some different cut stock, that would make it faster, we will listen and be glad, we are working on the same goal, dont assume that he will not like it, often a little time saved is lots of money, money that can cover the cost of pre cut to a size for extra price and still make us more money, speak up, you are the expert in the machines, the manager should be in the process and deadlines, as when the alu is shipped to coating and so on, when its needed in assembly and so on. and just because a manager is out on the floor, we are not "supervising" you, we are just looking if things are going to plan, see if all is there as its needed, did the material we ordret come in and so on, we trust you, or you would be fired. so that was my two cents, and i love machining, im more a technician that loves making stuff, and to amateur cnc'ing on my home-build machines.

A good manager should be managing up, and protecting their team. But, this requires hiring the right people, and then giving a shit about them

This sounds like the manager I had that wanted me to put counter bores and threads in water jet.

There has been multiple times my manager has asked "can we just run without coolant?" 🤦‍♂️

It's called micro management and you are so right, that it will take the joy and innovation out of all your employees. I've been a machinist for almost forty years ago, so most of what we did was not CNC work but the principle are still the same. I'm an engineer now but I still have contact to people who work as machinist. I think it's important to let the machinist do the programming too, otherwise they will only be simple machine operators and the company will have a high in/out flux of employees. In Denmark where I'm from the apprentice time was 3 1/2 year for 8 hours/day it has change a bit since, but if you have "optimized" your production so much, that you have dedicated CNC programmers and most of them does not have the basic machinist skills, it will cause many problems. On top of that, you can add a micro management manager who buy the wrong tools and lightweight CNC machinery only focus on accumulated machine time for the workshop. He will then take the next level up on the management pyramide and be inspired of "Change management" ideology, so he now have the "right" phycological toolbox to convince his employees that his Utopia can be for real.

I think it’s important that a manager understands manufacturing basics. Understands the challenges that arise. That’s very important. The MOST important is understanding people and having some empathy. An employee wants to feel that they are doing well and not just always behind on a job, or rate isn’t exactly where it should be. We are running into this problem now in my shop. Even a small group meeting at the end of the shift, reassuring that our hard work is being noticed and we just need to keep pushing ahead is a moral stabilizer. Whether we are a little bit behind, or just a few parts short on rate. The least favored line is “keep that machine running all day. No stopping. Keep that green light on”. Understanding that tools break, or chip wrap happens, etc. That not every part ran in a shop is rainbows and butterflies and that I am just not running to my fullest potential.

Omg, the timing! My shop jumped from the second manager to the first one this actual week!

Words for any business! Thanks for this video 😊

I've got one of each, my direct supervisor is amazing, with a heck of a background. He lets me find my way but is always there for slight guidance. The shop manager however, he is the other type you speak of. I don't have any use for him. His muscle memory is as follows; hands on his hips, looks at his watch. Absolutely no machining save for pushing a button on the water jet for a few months.

both ,although that is the exception, he started in the trade with the company and worked his way up to plant manager and does a very good job managing people, I am fortunate to have one and he knows programming which is a big plus 👍

This sort of thing happens with most jobs, its almost like the shop floor and the manager's floor are two different worlds. If you want to run a successful machining business, at least know what you're getting into and understand the machines and people you're working with.

That’s why me and one other machinist just left our old shop and we are now working for a very easygoing boss that listens to us. The old boss/manager never wanted to listen to us and just dictated. Now he just lost two longtime employees with over 40 years experience between us. And the last time we heard the old place is going off the rails. Ha!

They should be especially good with people and have at least a basic understanding of the processes.

Had the same problem with a manager, always asking : if the max spindle speed of this machine is 20k , why is it only running at 11k right now ? cant you speed things up ? After he left we learned that he was a pig farmer with no experience in milling at all.

@therealsourc3

11 ай бұрын

That's like my boss when I was making parts in a lathe: "oh you can probably speed this up, the spindle load isn't even at 60%" I told him "If I did you would involuntarily be a part of the national space program" He didn't find that funny at all.

Every last one of the shift supervisors at the place I work is just like the 1st one. I can't stand the people I work for but stay because I love the guys I work with.

I’ve worked with both types of managers, I’ll take one that’s been in the trade any day over one that has not, even if they’re hard to work with. Something about hearing them cal a mill a grinder or press just doesn’t sit right.

I always thought I should know the processes I managed. If people needed help I could then go through the issues and help come up with the solution. Not saying it happens every time but that the goal 😊

This topic just doesn't happen in the field of engineering for CNC. It do happen in all types of field. Ain't easy to adapt still is part of the life to go forward with it. There 2ways of doing it, either stay or leave.

My manager wouldn't let me service the CNC for 3 years. It's broken down. It's just been stood for a month while he argues about the warranty with the company bought from. Now it seems he's going to have to pay double to get it repaired in a rush because a huge urgent order has come in.

I experienced both in my career and ITS Like everywhere all that IS extreme IS Not really good. IT should all BE done under Common Sense.

One of my prides as an ex-shop manager was, I sat back back and figured out who was good at what. Bob was good at this, but not so much as that. Now Bill was good at that, but keep that dude AWAY at this! Let them run! If something better came around whether be ideas or personnel, so be it, time for change. The tricky part about it is doing it without stepping on toes and and getting people all butt hurt. Pissing people off tends to make them walk, without people, no work gets out. Being shop manager is not in anyway an easy and sometimes a fun job, but easy and fun doesn't make a machine shop money.

If all managers were made from the same figurative CNC program, that would not be a good thing at all. A manager needs to be able to grow and develop in the job. My first "real job" out of college was an assistant production manager in a printing plant. My undergrad degree was in management, but I knew precious little about graphic arts. Fortunately, my direct supervisor had done his entire working life in printing and knew the processes cold; he also knew how to deal with people. During my first month there I endured the usual "initiation" ritual from the guys on the shop floor; I got beyond that when one of the pressmen fell behind what the Old Man (it was a family act business) had expected, and the Old Man started yelling at him. I stepped up and told the Old Man that the pressman was following my instructions, and that he should be yelling at me and not at the pressman. The Old Man accommodated me with a strong public dressing down, but after that, the flak I was getting from the shop crew ceased. In a subsequent life as an analyst for the US Department of Defense, I had occasions to visit factories of government contractors; my background in production served me very well and enabled me to discuss production issues with contractor personnel.

Without a doubt a manager must be both a leader and an experienced machinists for maximum efficiency. If one doesn't understand the process leading is problematic at best. I was both for over 22 years and even then there is a struggle if the engineer above the manager doesn't understand the process. In my experience the best engineers also was a machinists first. I could immediately distinguish a die designed from that of a engineer from that of one that was also a machinists/engineer. The machinists/engineer would design the die with thought of quick access clearance holes for inserts for example. Also it is very important to under the production side of things for a total understanding and efficiency.

Both manager scenarios have one common fail point. Ego. The one who couldn't be trained to the process and the one who alrady knew exactly how to do it one way, both face an ego problem which made the managing more difficult.

Manager should know what they manage and at same time help people to improve their skills at same time.

i wans tires that never need to be changed, oil that never needs to be changed, a bag of my favorite coffee that never gets empty. etc. etc.

My supervisor ran a laser and programmed but setting up a mill or lathe he's never done but has the gull to say we have crappy machinist thankfully another machinist job came available on dayshift so I don't have to put up with his b.s. anymore

The best manager I found was someone who is able to do most jobs so thay understand what it takes to get the work done and is able to listen to the workers on the floor and do what needs to be done to make their job as easy as possible if you stand with your workers help them you will get the same back from them unfortunately this kind of manager is few and far between bad management is the number one reason I leave a job

welcome to my shop where i work :D

@andydreier9772

11 ай бұрын

Having people skills along with management skills is vital. The manager must know that hearing input is not the same as listening to input.

The most technically strong people often lack the people skills to manage effectively. Ideally a good manager should have a good, but not necessarily expert, level of technical proficiency, and good people skills.

a manager needs to be an expert with people but also understand the trade.

We had a new CEO that was a charts and graphs guy. That's what I called him at least. Nice but sat in his office all day putting up nice spread sheets. NEVER on the shop floor. Owners warned him of this and he was gone after 6 months. Funny thing is he went somewhere else and is a big wig there. Not a good fit I guess?

At 40 years old. You guy hit the nail on the head. Trust your talent ;D

Makes perfect sense.

We had a word for people like he is describing in the Army, we called them "toxic leaders".

This reminds me of how Scotty would tell Captain Kirk he needed two days to fix the warp drive. Kirk would then say, "You have 5 minutes."

If you don't understand how things are done, you'll never understand how to do it better. Is that really such an inconceivable concept to some people? Yes it is, sadly.

Imagine having to explain why reality doesn't care from how subjectively low the toolchanger threw the tool out because some clueless kid (btw I am an actual ME in contrast to said "higher up") didn't want to tell boss he fucked up in an attempt to fix it before I could arrive

My new manager every single time when appear on hall all employee do their best to stay calm and pretend that they listen to his "wise words". He not even understand what thermal expansion is

For me personally I want my managers to be leaders that means they have to be proficient both in managing, educating and engaging people as well as their areas expertise. I would never make somebody a manager who has never worked in the field or doesn't have the experience needed because they will not be able to support our ultimate vision and mission for the company in that role if their background is lacking those key things. As in all things there needs to be a balance.

First, a good manager should have a good working knowledge of what they are managing. It is an unnecessary burden on the workers to have to train a manager. Second, a good manager should have good people skills, starting with being able to communicate. They should be able to listen to the employees, not just hear what is said. Hearing and listening are not the same. Third, a good manager needs to understand and acknowledge the skills of each employee. They need to rely on the knowledge and skills of experienced business workers. They need to develop intermediate-level workers to hasten their development and advancement. And they need to make a work environment that is friendly and develops entry-level employees. Fourth, they need to create a work environment that is free of racism, sexism, and any sort of discrimination. There is no room for bigotry or hazing in today's workplace. Fifth, the manager needs to create a work environment that employees enjoy. They need to come to work happy and leave happy. Small investments in the work environment can make for improvement in productivity. I don't hold any of the above five items in any particular order. You can't skip any one item and expect to have success Late one evening when I was directing the cleanup of a significant oil spill I got into an argument with my boss. The argument escalated into a shouting match, ending with him telling me that he was the boss and I needed to follow orders. I had to get the last word, by telling him that I would do what he said but he was still wrong. Over the years we each told the story the exact same way. He never held the argument against me, and I never held it against him. Bob

First and foremost, a manager needs to UNDERSTAND. My mantra in a lot of things that I wish to be successful in is "It's not about knowing, it's about knowing how to find out"

As a former machinist and shop lead I always encourage my guys to innovate. If they figured out a better way I rewarded them in some way often, out of my own pocket. You have got to remain open minded and encourage critical thinking. Often I'd jokingly say if the janitor had an idea that was possible I'd go with it.

I'm afraid there's more to being a good manager especially in a machine shop. Obviously as a manager you're not the CEO but you still must be a good businessman you must know the back end of how business is run in addition to being a part-time psychologists you must have a good grip on all the logistics, from scheduling all outside processes keeping all your internal processes running on schedule. Must make sure you don't run out of tools and other materials required including making sure the machinery is available on time with all the appropriate support personnel you also must find the time and personnel to maintain your equipment. It is the ultimate logistics balancing act of human resources material resources Capital equipment acquisition maintenance management you must know a little bit about everything and in the case of machine shop you should be an exc😊ellent Machinist and all-around good person with good communication skills. All that rolled into one person you're basically the one running the show and delivering the final product. So you must have good direction from your executive leadership and access to responsive engineering resources without those two key elements even the best manager will fall behind or even fail.😮

you wouldn't believe how often Supervisors know nothing about what's happening on the shop floor.

The type of manager should depend on the type of work it is. I worked in a big bank for a long time and I saw both good and bad. One guy was literally coming in from selling shoes for a living. He didn't know anything about what we were actually doing. Most of my clients had anywhere from $5 million dollars on up to several hundred million dollars or more. That guy screwed up more stuff just by being an idiot. People that earn that much money are extremely astute. He was hired on the grounds that he was 'good with people'. That might have been true in the context of regular retail sales but in reality he was terrible for our specific clients. The clients were always nice to him but they also had little patience when it came to doing business with someone like that. To sum it up, if they were going to trust us with large sums of money their radars were on full blast seeing if we were the right people for the job.

BOTH.

I ran a shop for 2 years I have 8 guys on 16 machines. I have a ton of experience in solidcam and Mastercam. When we got a job in I'd let the guys pick the jobs they worked on while I was the main programmer. I had an open door and every guy in shop had the understanding that the gcode is a simple base line this they had any ideas on anything not only did I want to hear it I offered rewards on no cost time reduction. And while we had budgets for tooling it was under discussion as to options as we did a fair amount of contract work for like 500-1000pcs of something and they come back for another 500-1000 3-6mo down the road. I have a software engineering background. Obama killed the shop as most the work dried up with costs vs China I tried to get the owner to pivot but he just wanted to retire I didn't have the capital to buy the shop so it died the new owner was an "investor type" and the baboon didn't belong in the same zip code as the shop he let me go as I was paid more then the floor guys but I was also the only true programmer other then a few of the newer guys that honestly had never seen a machinist hand book and with less than a year of experience it was all talk and the shop folder 6mo after I left. My rules in a shop 1. Keep your programmers and cad guys happy and upto date. 2. Never walk away from an idea I don't care if it was the owner or the janitor work it though on paper and see it has potential.. 3. You you call my guys button pushers I don't want your business. Respect is not free and the customer is not always right. 4. Every employee gets to clean the bathrooms at least once a year. Respect the shop it will Respect you (this rule alone are bathrooms are spotless all the time) 5. If you see a error be it ours or even a specification in a customer's data speak up this is rewarded heavily upto 15% of a jobs net profit. 6. Your benefits are on me don't like the medical plans offered I will credit you the same amount towards any plan you get on your own

if a Manager would come with the Suggestion of getting a tool that will never wear out.. i'd say, Ok.. we well search for such a tool, but, until we found it, we will not machine any part, since the current tools are no good in your opinion..

Been there done that no THNX !!

Maybe not expert, but good at both.

Sounds like the only tool that needs to be replaced is the manager 😮

What do you mean? I've been using the same 1/2" endmill for the last 4 years. *smokes the everloving fuck out of every part changing the heat spec and ruining it every time*

I've had three moronic managers like this in my career. I sang and danced when they finally left the building. One was so stupid he disfigured his own face peering into a flooded carburetor. I learned to stay far away from him when he got one of his "bright ideas".

A VP here. I know about machining. Also knowledge about machining. Is a broad spectrum. You can be an awesome mill guy. More of a lathe person myself. Also if you are more knowledgeable than me. Either grinding,mill, or lathe. Great. Do a time study or bring me some proof. If you thought of or have a better way. I’m all ears. Do I want to see results. Yes. Also. On the other hand. You as the machinist. You may see something that I don’t. If you are comfortable enough with your skill and figuring stuff out. A good manager or boss will hear you out. Then if they want a time study or whatever else. They should listen. Look at studies that individuals have done. If not. Time to look for a better opportunity.

As a cnc setter operator working for an aerospace company producing jet engine parts I can confirm most of our supervision and management know fuck all about cnc.

I think having an understanding is important as if they have no idea what you do, they'll never understand when you do something incredibly challenging and then won't value your effort and skill

We got it worse. Our parent company doesn't understand CNC machining.

@enricodesign619

11 ай бұрын

been there too

Same issue with CAD design office. Ignorant manager will run it into the ground

a manager should be a people expert before an engineering expert. oftentimes, the mistake is made of promoting the best engineer to a manager position, at which they fail because they're an engineering expert before a people expert. meanwhile, a managers knowledge and skill are secondary to their management skills. they should have an idea of what's going on, but they don't need to be experts at engineering, that's the engineers' job. instead, a manager should trust the engineers they manage to be experts at what they do and ideally be able to discern who's the best choice for which job. so, again, a manager doesn't need to be an expert at engineering, but rather needs to be aware that they're not an expert at engineering.

Come fate a fare la lavorazione al minuto 5:45 con Mastercam????

Now instead of that thinking you couldve suggested buy a anca cnc grinder.....

I left the transport industry because of stupid managers who had no clue about the industry.

I have the same same problem. Micromanagement and expecting one good machinist to be able to do the work of four. Then berating you when you can only do the work of one human being at a time. A good manager should be someone that has done the work before and understands the effort and attention to detail that it requires at all stages of part production.

Um gerente tem que entender de gestão de pessoas, e saber delegar funções!

Sounds like my last manager was the worst.

The best managers are a fair bit of both.

Wow are you talking about my boss at my work or what😂

This is my manager 😢. Doesnt listen and doesnt care.

There is only one solution when you find yourself inthat position. Manager, do this instead of me!

I have always been a believer of if someone is hired for a position like this, they must work in the shop floor for about two months. Never understood why companies hire people that don't even know how to use a hammer. Interviews should go like this: Company: "Do you have any experience in metal fabrication or machining?" Applicant: "No" Company: "So what qualifies you for this position?" Applicant: "I have a degree." Company: "Thanks for stopping by, have a great day."

My managers are experts in neither, and it shows. In fact they are completely clueless about machining. They're based out of Delaware and I work in Ohio. They just watch the money roll in and complain that it's never enough.

They should be both