27. Dedicated to Improvement - Andy Reinwald at Ripley Machine
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Release Date: 04/16/2025
48. Huge Parts, Huge Success: Craig Lange of Lange Machine & Tool
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Some shops measure parts in millimeters. Lange Machine and Tool measures them in tons, up to 80,000 pounds, to be exact. But running a shop that handles massive mining and foundry components with a small batch, high-mix workflow presents a unique data challenge. For decades, Craig Lange’s family business relied on paper cost cards and a custom-built Access database to keep track of it all. It worked, but at a cost. It required nearly a full-time employee just to handle data entry, and tribal knowledge was constantly slipping through the cracks. When a job came back three years later, the...
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47. Small Headcount - High Discipline: Building Success with Garrett from Elemental Design + Machinery
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Most machine shop startups are defined by hustle, long hours, and organized chaos. But when Garrett Wolfford founded Elemental Design + Machinery in January 2024, he had a different blueprint: "Small headcount, high discipline". While many owners wait years to professionalize their operations, Garrett built the foundation of a major aerospace facility for a team of just three people. He didn't wait to "grow into" systems; he implemented AS9100 certification, ITAR registration, and ProShop ERP almost immediately. The goal was audacious: to transition from general manufacturing to critical "hard...
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46: Scaling a Machine Shop Without Losing Control with Wesley of B&W Machine Works
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
In this episode, I chat with Wesley Traumbauer of B&W Machine works. We examine what happens when a manufacturing business grows faster than the systems supporting it. As complexity increases, reliance on memory, informal communication, and disconnected tools creates friction that compounds daily. What once felt manageable begins to erode trust in schedules, delivery dates, and capacity, making even simple decisions heavier than they need to be. When estimating, scheduling, purchasing, and quality exist in separate places, visibility disappears. Work-in-process grows, interruptions...
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45: Eliminating Chaos: How Ferrera Tooling Streamlined Scheduling, Quality, and Traceability
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
When Cody Joy joined Ferrera Tooling Company in 2020, the shop was growing rapidly but struggling with chaotic systems. Scheduling relied on a single Google Sheet, paper travelers cluttered the floor, and quality records were scattered across uncontrolled spreadsheets. Twice-weekly meetings attempted to manage priorities, but inefficiencies threatened to stall the company’s expansion into aerospace and space exploration. Ferrera’s leadership recognized the need for a paperless ERP solution. After considering building their own system, they adopted ProShop, which consolidated scheduling,...
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44: Massive Transformation with David Pannell of Faircloth Machine
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Faircloth Machine Shop’s journey is one of remarkable transformation. Founded in the late 1960s as a manual machining operation, it was modernized under David Pannell, who joined in 1994 and helped transition the shop into CNC machining. By 2017, Faircloth adopted ProShop ERP, moving away from paper records and embracing digital systems that enabled growth into aerospace manufacturing. ProShop proved pivotal, offering built-in AS9100 compliance and integrated tools for audits, documentation, and quality management. Though the shift was a cultural shock, it allowed Faircloth to expand from 10...
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43: From Multi-National Executive to Machine Shop Owner - Chris Basgall of Catamount
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Some shop owners work their way up from the shop floor. Chris Basgall arrived from the opposite direction. Before buying Catamount Machine Works, he spent decades leading IT, operations, and large-scale transformation inside one of the world’s biggest telecommunications companies, serving 350 million customers across continents. Then he walked away from corporate life, moved his family to Florida, and bought a 15-person machine shop with paper travelers, scattered data, and a tech stack that hadn’t changed much in years. Chris didn’t choose Catamount for what it was. He chose it for what...
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42: Scaling Smart, Leading with Data & Building a Future-Ready Shop at Prosper-Tech Machine & Tool
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Some shops grow fast. But very few grow fast and stay in control. Prosper-Tech is doing both, and doing it with intention. In just two years, Andrew and Gabby Devroy have helped transform the company Andrew’s parents built in a garage into a 30-person aerospace and medical machining powerhouse, all while raising three kids and navigating the complexities of a second-generation business. Their approach isn’t about chasing work, it’s about choosing the right work, building systems that scale, and creating a culture where data drives decisions instead of putting out fires. When they joined...
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41: A Blank Slate Urban Machine Shop Concept - Matt Bruner of APW
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Matt Bruner, co-founder of American Precision Works (APW), shares the journey of launching a modern machine shop in urban Philadelphia with his partner, John Celley. Founded in October 2024, APW was built on a “clean slate” philosophy, emphasizing automation, streamlined systems, and a people-first approach. With complementary backgrounds (John in machining and Matt in sales and operations) they aimed to create a business that could train individuals without prior machining experience, using standardized processes and advanced technology to empower their workforce. Their urban location was...
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40: Shop Transformation Leads to the Largest PO Ever Received - Damon Snider
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Snider Precision began as a garage-based machine shop founded by Damon Snider’s father in 1978, growing organically over decades through grit, bold decisions, and a passion for machining. Damon started helping as a child, deburring parts and learning CNC operations before joining the Navy. After his father fired an unreliable crew, Damon returned to help and eventually took over the business, bringing fresh energy and a vision for modernization. Under Damon’s leadership, the shop transitioned from paper-based workflows to a fully digital system using ProShop ERP. This shift enabled better...
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39: Driving Excellence and Growth with Jeff Justesen of Oakdale Precision
Manufacturing Transformed: Real Shops, Real Stories
Oakdale Precision, a manufacturing company, transformed after adopting Pro Shop ERP. Previously reliant on a homegrown software system and tools like spreadsheets, whiteboards, and scattered network drives, the company faced challenges in scheduling, quality control, and tribal knowledge transfer. As the company grew, these limitations became unsustainable, prompting leadership to seek a more structured solution. Jeff Justesen tells how the transition to Pro Shop was facilitated with onboarding across departments. Floor staff quickly adapted to basic functions like scheduling and clocking...
info_outlineRunning 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 thinking, and began to untangle Ripley Machine from manual processes and memory-based management. Still, the tools he had weren’t suited for the kind of shop he wanted to run.
It wasn’t until Andy implemented ProShop that the fundamental transformation took hold.
The team got access to the same information, tooling, and setups became easier to manage, and planning work no longer relied on his constant oversight. Late orders dropped, morale lifted, and quoting, scheduling, and tracking got faster.
Now, Andy runs a growing shop with more efficient systems, higher standards, and the breathing room to take a fully unplugged vacation. His story isn’t about flashy leaps, it’s about what happens when a shop owner truly commits to improving, one decision at a time.
LinkedIn - Andy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyreinwald/
Ripley Machine - https://www.ripley-machine.com/
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