14. A One Man Machining Army with CJ Abraham from PPD
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Release Date: 10/02/2024
32: Designing and Growing an Ideal Machine Shop with Tim Rousseau
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Most shop owners don’t realize how much the structure and feel of their shop impact everything, including employee morale, customer trust, and long-term growth. Caught up in production chaos, they overlook the deeper issues holding them back: clunky systems, reactive decision-making, and a culture built on fear rather than trust. Tim Rousseau changed all that. He built Above All CNC to be clean, safe, and forward-thinking intentionally. His big shift? Ditching paper and guesswork for ProShop ERP. It gave his growing shop the structure it needed to handle complexity without the stress. Now,...
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31: Life Changing Transformation with Perry Kuehn of K Tooling
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Most shop owners don’t realize it, but the way they lead their team and the systems they use may be quietly holding them back. In this episode, we hear from Perry Kuehn of K Tooling, a shop owner with decades of experience who thought his business was running fine… until it nearly ran off the rails. What followed was a transformation that reshaped his culture, workflow, and client relationships. And it started with one bold decision. At first, Perry was focused on growth: new machines, new buildings, new customers. But under the surface, delivery dates were slipping, team members were...
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30: Pride, Passion, and Purpose in Machining
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Some machine shop owners come into the industry late. Adam Verdon was born into it. From shredding paper in the office as a toddler to operating machines as a teenager, Adam grew up at G.V. Industries, the precision machining company his father founded in 1978 after returning from Vietnam. Today, he’s not just leading the company, he’s reshaping it. With a deep respect for GV’s history and a clear vision for its future, Adam set out to modernize the shop from the inside out. That meant more than swapping paper travelers for terminals or spreadsheets for software. It meant earning trust,...
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29. Mold Making, Skilled Trades & ProShop
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Plenty of people still picture manufacturing as dark, dirty, and dangerous. That image sticks, even though the real day-to-day inside many shops couldn’t look more different. But when perception lags behind reality, it’s no wonder few young people see themselves in roles like toolmaker or machinist. Darryl Gratrix didn’t grow up knowing he’d land in the trades. He went the university route first. Nearly three decades into his career today, he's running production at Molded Precision Components and doing everything he can to ensure the next generation sees what’s possible. That...
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28. Why "Good Enough" Systems Are Quietly Killing Your Shop’s Growth
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Shop owners are so deep in the daily grind that they don’t see how outdated systems are quietly setting limits on their business. When processes feel "good enough," it’s easy to miss how much time, money, and opportunity are leaking out of a business every day. Ben Dunn didn’t come from machining, he came from hospital administration. And that fresh perspective made it impossible for him to ignore the old habits inside the shop he acquired. Walking into a company still running on a DOS-based computer and stacks of paper, he saw what longtime owners sometimes can’t: without a clear...
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27. Dedicated to Improvement - Andy Reinwald at Ripley Machine
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Running a shop often means wearing every hat and holding every answer. For Andy Reinwald at Ripley Machine, that translated to years of nonstop work, nearly no time off, and the weight of every open order living in his head. It was sustainable until it wasn’t. Things came to a head after a rough year in 2016. Revenue was slipping, customer service was lagging, and the company was running on outdated systems. Andy knew he couldn’t keep leading the shop this way and expect different results. That realization kicked off a steady climb. Andy pursued ISO certification, leaned into lean...
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26. Proud to Own a World Class Shop - Phil Gurecki of Accurate Machine
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Most shop owners don’t realize how much stress is baked into their day-to-day. They’re running jobs, juggling people, chasing parts—and slowly getting used to the constant pressure. For Phil Gurecki, it was normal to be the only one who knew where everything was, how it worked, and what came next. Until it wasn’t. As Accurate Machine grew, so did the complexity. Assemblies got tougher. Tooling got chaotic. Binders multiplied. And the cost of relying on Phil’s memory—or a key employee’s tribal knowledge—became impossible to ignore. He tried two ERPs. Neither stuck. It wasn’t...
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25. Perfecting Processes & Systems to Success - Marvin Rodriguez with True Precision Machining
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Most machine shops are filled with skilled workers, powerful machines, and a relentless drive to get parts out the door. But behind the scenes, inefficiencies can quietly eat away at profitability, morale, and even long-term survival. Many shops rely on outdated systems, fragmented information, and tribal knowledge that vanishes when key employees leave. The result? Missed deadlines, costly mistakes, and constant firefighting. Marvin Rodriguez of True Precision Machining shares how his company faced these challenges and found a way to transform operations through a strategic shift in processes...
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24. From Pirate Ship to Proven Process - Matt Gawlik of 3D Graphite Machining
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Most job shops turn to ERP systems expecting more efficiency but end up with more headaches, more spreadsheets, and more frustration. Most ERPs weren’t built for job shops—high-mix, low-volume work, constant scheduling changes, and the need for real-time visibility. Instead of fixing the chaos, they add layers of complexity, leaving shops struggling to keep up. Traditional ERP systems were designed for large-scale manufacturing, where jobs are predictable and repeatable. A job shop doesn’t operate that way. Custom parts, shifting lead times, and last-minute jobs require flexibility. The...
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23. Technology as a Force Multiplier
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Most manufacturers don’t realize just how much inefficiency is baked into their daily operations—until they start pulling back the layers. That was the case for Johnny Goode, President of MSP Manufacturing, who stepped into the family business in 2020 and immediately saw opportunities for change. Paper-based processes, siloed systems, and hidden inefficiencies were costing the shop time, money, and agility. But change wasn’t easy—especially for a team that had been doing things the same way for years. Johnny shares how MSP systematically broke free from outdated habits,...
info_outline14. A One Man Machining Army with CJ Abraham from PPD
CJ is a humble and extraordinarily capable guy. He can keep a CNC machine running literally 24/7 for 6 weeks straight without a minute of downtime. But he spins self deprecating jokes about not running a legitimate business. That’s one of the most endearing qualities about CJ. In this really interesting conversation CJ shares why he bought ProShop as a 1 person company, and how it helps keep him from hiring several people just to keep up with the high volume of work and data his company creates. His main customer calls him a One Man Machining Army, which seems like an apt description when you learn about the incredible business he runs today and the volume of parts his machines spit out on a daily basis. It’s a great lesson on how little details and systems can be stacked to produce extraordinary results!
About PPD:
We offer fully automated, 24/7 lights-out machining with the ability to finish "6-sided" milled components in a single operation from round bar. With automatic material handling, we maintain tolerances down to +/-.0002" (+/-.005mm) in a temperature-controlled environment. Our one-piece-flow process adapts to any quantity, from 10 to 10,000 pieces. Finishing includes deburring, tumbling, ultrasonic cleaning, and drying, with options for anodizing, nickel, cadmium, and gold plating. We conduct first-article and in-process inspections with advanced equipment. Through ProShop ERP, we ensure ISO9001 and AS9100 compliance, manage certifications, and track equipment calibration.
Follow CJ and PPD on Social Media:
Personal LI: /cjabraham
Company LI: /precision-product-development-llc
Website: www.ppd-llc.com