Is it too difficult or cumbersome for American manufacturing leaders to do business with our government? ?? I’m not claiming to have the answer, but we clearly have a tremendous gap that needs to be filled to build the submarines, ?? , ??, and ?? that we need for our military. We have thousands and thousands of capable manufacturers that don’t do military work because of the complexity required in qualifying to do so. My idea at the end of this video from our inaugural recording of MakingChips “At the Boring Bar” is possibly the worst potential solution to close this gap. Perhaps that’s what happens when you record with military legend Col. E.H. Taylor from Buffalo Trace Distillery at the center of the conversation? Had a lot of smart people with me breaking this down… Paul Van Metre Mike Payne Jason Zenger ???? ???? Nicole Wolter Manny P. Chris Luecke Peter Eelman Who’s got a better idea than I do? ???? #military #manufacturing #makingchips #cnc #machinetools #engineering #cadcam #itar #as9100 #metalworkingnation #machineshop
Paul Van Metre
2 个月
This is a huge problem for our nation. We can’t produce enough parts to build all the vehicles and arms needed to stock the military. We need more suppliers to step up and join the DIB. Software and technology is one way to make the requirements less onerous.
Well said Nick, manufacturers want to help! Government wants the help. We have to continue the dialogue and get the right people together to make it happen. As you know this is something I am passionate about. Let’s make it happen!!
Russell Winter
2 个月
This is such a relevant topic and one that I have intimate personal experience with. My Opa started a Tool and Die shop in 1977 and I grew up in the business. As a 3rd generation tool and die maker I decided to buy the company from my dad about 5 years ago. There were only 3 of us working there and I was tired of seeing the rollercoaster ride of booms/busts in the job shop CNC work we did. I decided to tackle DoD work in order to have some longer term work that could keep us busy in slow seasons. We were all in our mid to early 20s and brought the shop from zero to Prime contracting within about 12 months I believe. At one point my older brother did get us registered in SAM with our CAGE code but after that we did everything from ISO Certification, NIST 800-171 (Now CMMC stuff) compliance and DCMA Audits to winning our first couple contracts and hiring a DC law firm to advise/support us when the gov wanted to pull a contract for convenience (within their rights) after we were essentially ready to ship it. We ended up winding DoD work back down after all this due to the maintenance requirements and because being small it was too much There is a solution out there but I believe it will require small shops working together.
Mike Payne
2 个月
This was such an important discussion! Navigating the complexities of government contracts has been too daunting for us and many other manufacturing leaders. The qualification and regulatory hurdles often deter capable manufacturers from engaging in military work, leaving a significant gap in our production capabilities. The positive thing I continue to see in the #MetalWorkingNation is collaboration! If we can work together to simplify the process, we can empower more manufacturers to contribute. Honored to be part of the conversation! Let’s keep the conversation! #Manufacturing #MakingChips #Collaboration #NationalSecurity
Shell Vera
2 个月
I don’t know Nick, it actually isn’t a bad idea. Studies show* when she speaks, her fans [and some who aren’t] listen. It could work. *Okay, so there’s no studies but if there were, it would show this.
Jim Goerges
2 个月
In order to change one's outcome, one must change their thinking.... It's absolutely possible to be predictable, accurate, and repeatable, while being productive 24/7 while working one shift per day. I do this and would love to show all how this can be done, #AmericanReshoring Best, Jim
Arthur Field
2 个月
If you're hard to work with, people won't work with you. Very apt, and an obstacle to be self reliant. One way I'm trying to make it easier is by putting together a webinar with cyber security experts and an official assesor for CMMC2.0.
?? Cathy Rinne
2 个月
This is so true. It's not only overwhelming and cumbersome, it's downright scary.
Co-Founder & CEO at Paperless Parts, Inc.
2 个月Nick Thanks for sharing. I spent a lot of time working on this problem as a Supply Corps Officer in the US Navy. A piece of why the government is challenging to work with comes back to the decision to not purchase part-level technical data with new platforms as a part of cost savings measures. This ensured the OEMs had a robust spare part business for decades after the initial platform production. This also tied their hands when the OEMs decided they didn't want to support the platforms any longer - F18 to F35 transition is a great example. This was recently fixed with updates to the DFARs but the damage has been done. The other major challenge I observed comes back to qualifying new suppliers. The FAI labs are extremely backed up, so much so that they are now outsourcing the FAI to 3rd parties. This causes a significant lag between first part production and final delivery/payment for already cash strapped shops. The A&D supply chain makes doing business much harder than it should be. A colleague of mine just wrote this post outlining the problem as we see it. https://www.dhirubhai.net/posts/jasontray_oems-and-tier-1-suppliers-are-wasting-millions-activity-7243993616040230914-QALL?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop