An Okuma Journey, Full of Possibilities

When Applications Engineer Lee Grigg joined Okuma a few months ago, he’d already spent his entire career surrounded by Okuma machine tools. In his first job right out of high school he worked for a local Charlotte-area company that used Okuma machines to produce Okuma parts. At the time, Lee says he never would have imagined, 27 years later, he’d be working for Okuma, right down the road. We sat down with Lee recently to learn about his professional journey so far – and some of the wisdom he’s gained along the way.

In 2004 you started your own business, Grigg Machine Company. What helped you make the leap into owning your own shop?

One of my co-workers knew someone who was outsourcing parts to multiple machine shops around town – they were triggers for guns. We had a meeting with this gentleman, and he agreed to send work to me because he was frustrated with the quality and the delivery times he was getting. With my first job already lined up, I borrowed $25,000 from the credit union, bought a machine, and set it up in my garage. Soon after, I discovered that this customer wanted 50-50 ownership of the company. Well, that wasn’t going to work. My wife and I were adamant from the beginning that we would have no partners. Long story short, that fell through and I reached out to a couple other local customers and they started sending work to me. From there, word got out around town and the business continued to grow. My first two machines were used, late-1980’s model Okumas, one was an LB-25 lathe, and the other was an MC4VA milling machine. They were, and still are, great machines.

When word got out around town, what did they say about you and Grigg Machine Company?

Well, I guess, doing quality work and being honest. I would try not to tell you something you just wanted to hear. If I could do a job, I would tell you. If I couldn’t do it, I would let you know. I guess the biggest thing, the reason the customers kept me as busy as they did, and the business continued to grow, was the quality of work I expected in my machine shop and the timeframe. If you promise a delivery date, you need to stick with that because, obviously, the big customers have schedules they have to maintain. Being honest and loyal and doing good work is what kept us in business. At one point, we were up to 12 employees.

After 14 years running a successful business, what made you consider joining Okuma?

At the time I wasn’t really looking, but my brother referred me (Lee’s brother Jonathan is also an Applications Engineer at Okuma) and told me about the job opening. Initially I made the phone call just to make sure I wasn’t letting a great opportunity pass me by. When I came in for my interview, it became clear that this could be in the best interest of both myself and the company. In my 27 years in manufacturing, I never took on a part that we couldn’t make with the resources we already had. Now I’m working with the latest technology, new machines, all the partners we have at our fingertips, all the newest tooling, and all the newest software for programming. Everything at our disposal is new, and it’s exciting just to have that opportunity.

What did you do with your Okuma machine tools when you decided to work here?

I found a good home for them! As I mentioned, they still run great, and they’re putting them to good use at Action Stainless & Alloys in Rock Hill, SC. They used to be the “mean green” color that Okuma used back in the day, but now they have a new paint job. (That’s Lee at the left in the photo above, visiting his trusty old Okumas at their new home. At right is John McAuliffe, General Manager, Action Stainless & Alloys.)

What’s the most surprising thing you saw technology-wise when you first came to Okuma?

The most surprising thing would probably be the advancement of the machines in general. In my shop I had some older equipment, and I even had a couple Okumas, but you just get in an environment where the main goal is to make the customer happy. Make good parts, get them out on time, and you really don’t know what’s out in the real world. I was in a position where I didn’t have time to go to IMTS (the International Manufacturing Technology Show). In 14 years owning my own business I never even took a vacation. I didn’t have time to come visit Okuma and do any of their summer events or winter events, so I was a bit behind on the capabilities of today’s machines. Once you learn the capabilities and what these machines can do, I now realize this can definitely help your everyday processes, even in a smaller job shop environment.

Looking back on the time when you owned your shop, if you were talking to your former self today, what would you say regarding learning about new technology?

I would probably tell myself to take the time to do the research. I know when I ran my shop, it consumed my entire life. My main goal was, obviously, to keep the customers happy, but you just wake up one day and realize 14 years are gone. You just have to make the time to research the new technology and see how it can benefit your company, especially in this day and age where manpower is hard to find.

What’s an example of technology on a machine that was newer, that really would have helped you if you would have known about it?

The robotics that are available for the machines, that’s very interesting. Of course, I was familiar with pallet changers on machines, but there’s so much more you can do to really step up your game these days, just to make your processes easier. Also, I didn’t have any newer style Okumas, but now that I’m experiencing the P300 controls that we have, I’m impressed with how user-friendly they are. I know a lot of people in the machining industry are hesitant to change controls because that’s what they’re used to. But if you take a little time to learn the P300 controls, they open up so many possibilities for you. The newer controls are much more interesting to the younger generation too, compared to just straight G-code programming to make a part. They’re more app-friendly and more up-to-date with today’s technology. If I would’ve known how easy the Okuma control is to learn, I could’ve hired some younger people and that might have helped solve my labor shortage issues.

What advice would you give to someone running a small, busy shop today?

I was fortunate to have people working for me who stayed for a long time, and I was grateful for their loyalty. We absolutely needed their skills to keep up with our busy production schedule. In that sense, we were very successful together as a team. But we also got used to being content with how things ran every day, instead of saying “Let’s try to take this to the next level and see what possibilities that could open.” We just never got to that point.

Are you aware that Okuma’s slogan is “Open Possibilities”?

Yes, I am. But goodness, I really didn’t plan to say it that way! That slogan speaks the truth though. Being around the technology we have here at Okuma, we have a mentality of trying new things and looking for new solutions, and an attitude of “you never know what possibilities that can open for us.” Here at Okuma I’m surrounded by some pretty sharp individuals. I must say, I’m very glad to be here.