Why a Manufacturing Boom Takes Time to Reach Repair Shops
Growth in manufacturing doesn't hit every company at the same time. Martin Engster explains why a repair facility like Centerline sits on the back end of the manufacturing cycle — and why he still watches what machine builders are doing.
Growth in manufacturing doesn't hit every company at the same time.
Centerline is a repair facility. That means we're often on the back end of what's happening in the manufacturing industry.
When manufacturers are doing well, they may buy new machines. Those new machines normally come with warranties. If something happens during that warranty period, the owner isn't going to want to do something that could void the warranty. So there's a natural delay before some of that equipment reaches an independent repair facility like ours.
That's why I look at industry growth a little differently. What's happening today can affect our shop months or even years down the road.
It's one reason I pay attention to what manufacturers and machine builders are doing. A busy machine tool show or an increase in new equipment may not turn into repair work for us tomorrow, but it can tell us something about what may be coming.
In this business, sometimes you have to understand the delay between what's happening on the factory floor today and what eventually arrives at the repair shop.
