If you want to have an interesting time, buy a company out of bankruptcy. When we bought Davenport in 2003 there were only twenty employees left, down from almost four hundred in 1979. The building was dirty, the machines were in disrepair; the quality was bad and prices were high. No wonder so many customers had left for alternate sources. We had a big job ahead of us, but I knew it could be done.
In the past four-plus years we have recovered the plant, added new state of the art equipment and redesigned not only the Davenport machine, but more importantly, the processes used to make it.
But the most important thing we have done was convincing our customers that we are back, and we’re here to stay. We’ve done this through lower prices, high quality and readily available inventory. The many improvements we have made to the machine are too numerous to list here but the major ones are on our web site under Engineering Bulletins.
We are continually changing and looking for new ways to build and further improve the machine. We no longer suffer from the “If it wasn’t invented here, it’s no good”, syndrome. I have a saying, “If you’re not changing, you’re going backwards”. Constant improvement is the norm, not the exception. Recent visitors always comment on how much things have changed since the last time they were here, even if it has only been a few months.
The Servo has Evolved into the HP
The Servo nomenclature of machine has been dropped in favor of the Davenport HP designation because all machines equipped with Servo motors come with the High Precision head as standard equipment. (Also available on the Model B.)
The New Kid on the Block: HPO
There is an additional designation as well, the HPO. (Not to be confused with HBO. They play movies.) The High Precision Orientation machine was unveiled at the PMTS show in Columbus this spring. The servo threading motor can now be used in place of the Revinloc to index a slotting head, cross drill or broach in a non-symmetrical pattern.
Adapt to Succeed
Our goal is to help our customers compete with the foreign market by helping reduce setup time and find better ways to run parts on a Davenport. The recent launch of our Quick Change Tooling (QCT) line addresses that goal. We can show you how to change over a machine quickly using standard datum’s and inserts and end working tools. Go to our CJWinter web site at www.cjwinter.com to see the complete line of QCT products.
When we started we made a few mistakes. If I could give you one very useful piece of advice it would be this. Never delay doing what you know will inevitably be the right thing. It is better to take action than wait to be absolutely certain. Usually, when making a change most employees will say, usually confidentially, “What took you so long?” I always say, I’m not clairvoyant, I don’t have x-ray vision, and I can only act on what I know or what someone tells me. I also never act on rumor, even though they are usually true – maybe. I go directly to the subject of the rumor and ask, “Is it true that you finally stopped beating your dog?”, or something like that. I also never lie because I have a lousy memory. But the truth is always the truth. I’d make a poor politician.
At CJWinter we just had a retirement. Dave Rhodes spent one month shy of forty two years working for CJWinter. He started in thread grinding and production and moved over to the Ames St. building last year to serve as production coordinator for the CJWinter product line. We wish him well in his retirement and I personally thank him for all his hard and dedicated work. Without loyal employees like Dave we would not be where we are today.
So in conclusion, I never imagined that the past four years would fly by so fast. All the employees here at Brinkman Products, Davenport and CJWinter thank you for your continued support – and so do I.
R. J. Brinkman, Chairman