The Okuma Difference: Building Value into Every Machine Tool
Rick Kimmins 08.16.2017
In a recent conversation with one of my coworkers, Gary Snow, we were discussing an article in Automotive Design & Production magazine showing the building of a Bugatti super car. The build area simulated a showroom with tools and tool cars all organized and properly stored - this area resembled a clean room. As I paged through the article my thoughts quickly shifted to the build area seen at our state of the art facility at Okuma Japan – Dream Site 1 (shown in the photo here).
Whether you’re talking about a million dollar super car or a million dollar machine tool, similarities exist. Words or phrases come to mind like Craftsmanship, High Performance, State of the Art, Technology, Hand Assembled, Torque, Horsepower, etc.
4 Ways We Build Value into Every Machine Tool
When it comes to Okuma machine tools I think the most fitting word is Value, because our primary goal is to provide our customers with a product that delivers high return on investment for a very long period of time. Okumas are, first and foremost, money-making machines.
Given the importance of this concept, I’d like to share with you four ways Okuma builds Value into every one of our machine tools.
- The Product. Our machine tools are as unique as the custom built Bugatti or even the Rolls Royce. Why? Because we’re the only machine tool builder that builds our own Control, Drives, Software, Spindles, Encoders, Options, etc. Think about that for a moment…..we know the product best, because the products are our own creation. Hand built, one-by-one, performing key processes such as hand scraping that assures that the final fit and finish will deliver long term, reliable performance. Even today our machine tools are built with the thought process that the buyer will expect at least a 15- to 20-year life span with minimal downtime.
- Customers are for Life. In most cases, once a new customer experiences the Okuma difference, the relationship is solidified. I have witnessed first-hand a competitor machine processing a part with sounds that indicate questionable reliability, accuracy problems and poor craftsmanship. Testimonials of Don Barth and Dimension Machine along with Seattle Lighthouse for the Blind come to mind, real people with real challenges and Okuma making their dream a reality.
- Distributor Network. As we all know, there will be times when there will be a breakdown. While other builders are choosing to eliminate distributors, we believe the best support can be found…locally. Distributors are front line support, no different than your local factory automotive dealership. When was the last time you contacted the Corporate office for Ford or Chevrolet concerning your vehicle service problem? You didn’t, you called your local dealer. All of our Distributors are required to have an ample amount of spare parts in stock relative to the number of machine tools in their area. Our Distributors also have access to a global parts network and have 24-hour experts available to help you resolve issues.
- Relationships – Relationships? Yes. Nearly every customer visit, open house or show event, I witness first-hand the value of relationships. My thoughts immediately go to one of our distributor salesman for Gosiger Dayton. Mike Masteller has sold over 1,100 Okuma machines in his 29 years of employment with Gosiger. Mike takes every machine tool sale personally with a goal to exceed the customer’s expectation whether they’re purchasing a simple 2-axis lathe or a multi-million dollar double column machining center.
In closing consider this – When was the last time you purchased a $300 “premium cooler” or a $30 coffee mug, or top quality tires for your car to make it perform like your own personal Bugatti? In today’s times we realize that Quality, Value and Price go hand-in-hand. Rest assured that when you pay more for a machine tool you should expect more. There is no price tag for Value, with Okuma it’s built-in.
Rick Kimmins, CMTSE, is Principal Engineer, Okuma America Corporation.
Other blog posts by Rick:
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