We have a small (less than 10 employees) job shop in central Florida, and we're damn slow. How is everyone else holding up?
Tom
Shop Doc Forum » General Questions
How's your shop doing in this tough economy?
(15 posts) (10 voices)-
Posted 1 year ago #
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Slow enough to really enjoy being home more this summer, but not busy enough to be able to afford it.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I work with a lot of small and large machine shops primarily in NE US and most of the people I've talked to say the same .... a slight increase in business but not enough to be considered even close to normal. We aren't expecting any significant increase until next year (probably 2nd qtr).
Posted 1 year ago # -
My buddy with a one man shop (one man + one lathe + one mill) here in Detroit is thinking about moving down south, but his last couple trips to N.C. and Florida made him feel like it's the same no matter where you go right now.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The last few years we were in a steady decline with customers leaving NJ. 2008 was my slowest year. Things started picking up last September when I picked up a few new customers and we have been very busy since March '09. I'm hoping that I'm ahead of the curve and things will begin to improve for all of us.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Out of curiosity, are your new customers your old niche? or did you develop a new one?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I'm just keeping the doors open, and I wonder how I'm going to pay for my health insurance premium for next month. It costs me over $1000.00 per month for myself and my wife. All those great ads you see on tv for "cheap" health insurance are for companies that aren't licensed to operate in New York. New York is no place to be operating a shop in this economy, but here I am, stuck with an a**h**e for a governor and a legislature that makes him look like a genius. The taxes just keep going up as more and more business fail or flee, and the retail businesses just keep getting hit with higher sales tax. It is not fun right now.
Posted 1 year ago # -
We sell used turning equipment and the trend is up[ though we are advancing from a miserably low base.
Posted 1 year ago # -
We are in the magazine business (business to business--industrial) and business is up from the doldrums of February and March but well off two years ago.
Posted 1 year ago # -
In a response to broach well's question, My business was 90% injection molds so we all know that business started it's march to China over a decade ago. In the past few years I've only had a few repairs to do on imported molds...No new molds have been built in my shop. I've only quoted one mold in the last several months. My new customers are a pharmaceutical company, A tel com start up and I was able to re-connect with a company that I had lost after an engineering department personnel change.Go through your Roladex and try and re-connect with some old customers that you haven't done business with for a while. Networking seems to work better than advertising.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Good advice PB, thanks for sharing.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I work at a small organic massage therapy offfice. Aparently, tough times stress people out because alot more people come to get massages even in this tough economy. Sometimes though, people cant afford it, and were dead for a while.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I work alone in a model shop designing and machining tooling and fixtures for an electronics manufacturing firm. I was always 6 months backlogged with work. The economy is so bad, I will be asking the boss for work in a few weeks. Just finishing off the "tough dogs" now.
Posted 1 year ago # -
We are actually doing really well....my guys are working 12 hour shifts and we still have day and night shift going. Our customer base is very diverse, so I think that is the reason that we are still snowed under!
Posted 1 year ago # -
I have turned bullish which is 180 degrees from three months ago. We are selling machines, cam and cnc and our customers are gradually getting busier. I really heartened after watching Mike Jackson interviewed. He is the head of AutoNation the biggest auto dealership group in the country. He said business is boming, inventories are down si gnificantly and Cars for Clunkers has been phenomenally successful. He is predicting a 13 million car year by 2011 which sounds good today. He says we are scrapping 13 million a year now. The consensus which is usually wrong predicts a slow recovery. I am now expecting a sharp upward move but I do believe employment will go up unnervingly slow because nobody wants to add people unless they absolutely must
Posted 1 year ago # -
hi i was doin good all year long
now I'm just keeping the doors open,let me know if any one is picking upin us.
steven............Posted 11 months ago # -
single man shops are probably the only thing that will survive the onslaught of government intervention . last year was the best year of the last 9 , and this year is the worst . barely making rent and electricity and phone bills . . . thank god for part time employment to provide a minimum health plan ( i'm a transplant recipient ) . . . got to keep the doors open to preserve my investment of time and money to date . . . what are you doing to keep your head with the absence of work ? I hear there wont be any change til after the first of the year !
Posted 9 months ago #
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