49. Modernizing a High-Mix Machine Shop Lessons From DieCraft's Transformation

For many job shops, the "perfect storm" looks like this: Your legacy ERP software is becoming obsolete due to Windows updates, and your two most senior employees, holding 72 years of combined tribal knowledge, are retiring at the same time.

That was the reality facing Justin Westerfeld at Die-Craft Engineering.

Die-Craft, a high-mix, low-volume shop averaging just 2-3 parts per order, was at a crossroads. They could continue operating as a traditional repair shop with heavy administrative overhead, or they could modernize.

Justin chose the latter. By implementing ProShop ERP, Die-Craft didn't just replace software; they fundamentally changed their business economics.

The results of this digital transformation are staggering. Die-Craft reduced their front-office staff from 11 people down to 6, saving nearly four full-time salaries strictly through efficiency gains, while simultaneously increasing milling capacity by 20%.

In this episode, Justin reveals how accurate job costing allowed them to win back lost contracts, how they slashed office processing time from 10 days to 1, and why even their most "crotchety" manual machinists now panic if their computers go down.

• Justin Westerfeld on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-westerfeld/
• Die-Craft Engineering: https://www.diecraftmachine.com/

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