As most precision machine shops gaze at the horizon of business possibilities we feel a certain amount of angst. We wonder if the demand for CNC Mill and Lathe work will continue. Where will we look for new work. The vulture is a leading economic indicating right now and business are getting devoured in the feeding frenzy of a runaway economy.

Are there any bright spots for machine shops as we collectively hold our breath and wait for what’s next?

With all of the current emphasis on going green there are major dollars to be made if we look in the right places. There is going to be major new demands for good clean energy in the future. Alternative energy will grow, but it will be coal that probably comes out the winner in the short run.

There is much skepticism about the long term viability of coal. Is there such a thing as clean coal? Well, it seems that there is. Or maybe it should be called, less dirty coal. Gasification and pollution scrubbers are being used and are making a dent in the CO2 output of coal fired power.

This is where we come in.

There is going to be a massive need for pipelines and valves to support this rapidly expanding infrastructure. New natural gas pipelines are going in. Many are anticipating a huge spike in the need for pipes, valves and monitoring devices.

In the electrical industry there is a shift going on toward variable speed motors. This will be by government mandate and/or cost savings opportunities will move companies in this direction. When going green can be linked with cost savings, people are getting in line. Check in with motor producers. They are going to need lots of shafts and couplings precision machined.

Things are changing. Times are tough. But there is work out their for custom CNC mill and lathe shops that are doing their homework.

I think all of us in the machine shop industry are a little concerned about what’s next. For some us we’ve seen an increase of work for our milling centers, where our lathe work has dramatically decrease. Some of seen just the opposite. Others I know are realizing an overall increase in their CNC machining.

But all Machine Shops are wondering what the machining will business we be like as we enter a new year with such an unstable economy. As a sales rep for John Prosock Machine I speak with many of our existing manufacturing customers as well as new companies that are looking to source out CNC mill and lathe machining. Some are slowing to the point where they are able to machine their own parts on their own milling centers or CNC lathes.

While others have seen their work load expand which is requiring them to pursue other machine shops to meet their growing internal demand. But everyone seems to be holding their breath to see what is next for the economy and how that will affect the manufacturing sector and the world of precision machining. At John Prosock Machine we are pulling out the stops.

We believe that this year will be one of the best ever. Certain sectors of the market are growing. We believe its our job to find out where the growth is and then position ourselves in front of the growing demand and thrive during these tough times.