
Shop Owners Unfiltered: Finding Work, Quoting Jobs & Staying Profitable | 48
From The Impractical Machinists by Practical Machinist
April 28, 2026 · 1h 0m · Season 2 · Episode 48
About this episode
A panel discussion on the challenges of running a machine shop, including work acquisition and job quoting.
Owning a machine shop sounds great… until you’re chasing work, quoting jobs at midnight, dealing with problem customers, and trying to stay profitable while keeping the lights on. Recorded live as a panel session during a Kennametal open house event, Brad from Marvel Machining, Ian from Lakewood Machine & Tool, and Luke from Progressive Turnings / Crusader Machining sit down for a real conversation about the ups and downs of running a shop. They talk about finding work, quoting jobs, wh...
People in this episode
Guests: Brad, Ian, Luke
Topics covered
- machine shop ownership
- quoting jobs
- finding work
- profitability
- customer relations
Keywords
- machine shop
- quoting jobs
- profitability
- customer issues
- work acquisition
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Marvel Machining, Lakewood Machine & Tool, Progressive Turnings, Crusader Machining, Kennametal
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