Increasing capabilities with a capital investment (a Hwacheon Mill) during the middle of a pandemic may feel counter-intuitive to manufacturing owners. However, that is the decision made by Rich Gent and Adam Gent, owners of Gent Machine. They purchased a Hwacheon Vesta 660 high production Mill. While quoting a ventilator component, the owners agreed that the mill purchase would increase the success of the project, increase overall shop capabilities, serve customers to a higher and more complex level, and keep additional work in house for its Cleveland, Ohio work force.

The Hwacheon was selected for its high precision machining, footprint and availability. The mill provides additional capabilities that complement a Swiss CNC shop since a lathe is generally only able to use round or hexagon shaped bars. In addition, most lathe tools remain stationary while the part moves around the tool. The mill provides increased capability as it is able to hold square and other shaped parts. A mill also has more than three axes, which is essential for the tool to move freely around parts. The ventilator component required additional axes to complete its production.  With its 26” x 16.95” working surface, the mill is appropriate for small parts such as ventilator components, valve handles and small dies.

A huge advantage for the shop’s Cleveland, Ohio workforce was the addition of a third shift during the project. Four employees gained new skills working on the mill. Three of those employees had never worked on a mill before. Their eagerness and willingness to learn has contributed to an increase in the skill level of Gent’s employees. The shop has since hired an additional mill expert to complement its work force.

Any capital investment is a thoughtful decision. Gent Machine took the opportunity presented in order to increase shop capabilities, increase employee skill levels, and further the company’s commitment to Total Customer Satisfaction.

Our Hydromat machine (Legacy generation) is going through improvements and retrofitting. The improvements will allow us to boost production of an air bag part that has only been increasing in volume recently. The automotive part has increased from about 30,000 piece per year to 30,000 pieces per week over the last 6 months.

We have been using our screw machines for the production of this part but it has put a lot of stress on this department. A screw machine alone cannot handle this steep of an increase in volume. The only way to increase cycle time, although only slightly, and improve efficiency is to switch to a rotary transfer process.

After the improvements have been made, the machine will feature a vertical unit which will straddle mill a section of the part. The collets, bushing and ejectors will be changed. The machine has been thoroughly cleaned and units have been swapped around to accommodate the new process.

Although the process is moving along well, things cannot never move fast enough in the manufacturing world. However, the switch will take a lot of pressure off of the screw machine department and improve our output.

Readers are abundant within our company. Now that COVID-19 has affected our lives, we’ve had to communicate even more with our employees. There are various tools to communicate during these challenging times, but we have been making good use of our bulletin boards. Sound old fashioned? Keep in mind that the majority of personnel in a machine shop do not have a personal computer at work. In fact, some choose not to have one, rather than it be about the money. Unlike the aerospace industry, we have not slowed down so the majority of our workforce has remained at work so we are happy to use non contact methods to communicate our messages.

Here is a sampling of the information we are ensuring we communicate on our bulletin boards:

1. Celebrations, such as birthdays and work anniversaries
2. Handwashing information
3. COVID-19 Best Practices Policy
4. Coronavirus health updates
5. Employee Rights under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
6. Medical carrier updates
7. Our core values
8. Contests
9. Ease at Work, which is our Employee Assistance Program
10. Wellness Program
11. Shift changes
12. #inthistogether Ohio poster

For the few employees that may not be back to the shop floor yet, we’re letting them know they are greatly missed. We expect this furlough to be temporary and hope that the slowdown the aerospace industry doesn’t come back to affect us (https://www.flightglobal.com/systems-and-interiors/slow-recovery-suppliers-to-be-hit-hard-aerospace-leaders-predict/137930.article). If it does then we will weather the storm just as we have in the past. We would reduce production but increase our cleaning efforts. A cleaner facility leads to improved efficiency.

We look forward to communicating face to face again with our customers and our employees. Until then, we will wear our masks, continue to practice social distancing and use the abundance of tools we are so fortunate to have at our fingertips.

Stay well!

On Friday evening, March 20th, Gent Machine received an order from a new customer. This request was more than just a new order from a new customer. This order was for parts to serve the healthcare industry, specifically for ventilators and respirators. As we all know time is of the essence in the fight against COVID-19 and we are happy to do our part in helping. We hope this little contribution on our part will aid in the recovery of many people from this terrible virus.

Stay healthy!

How are your company’s core values aiding your company during these uncertain times? Gent Machine worked hard developing a list of five core values during its strategic, operational, and cultural planning last year. While newly introduced to the entire company at our annual company meeting, having our core values in place during these difficult times provides a concrete focus and reference for our decision making and our treatment of each other. We are honored to share our core values of:

• Quality – in everything we do
• Integrity – doing the right thing, not always the easy thing
• Teamwork – helping each other to learn and grow
• Positivity – you bring the positive attitude, we will provide the job opportunities
• Respect – to each other and in your work

We look forward to following these values now and in less turbulent times.

Stay healthy!