DECEMBER HOUSEKEEPING

I have been blogging for some time now about our company, so to begin this week’s blog I want to draw your attention to the top of the blog, I have placed a photo of what we are working on inside the “four walls” of F. P. Miller Company.

Back from the long Thanksgiving week-end, full of good food and a few pounds extra weight, it is time to get some work done and stay to task. It definitely seems as though we move through the last month of the year, so do the various distractions. No doubt everyone has the holidays on their minds, shopping, eating, driving, snow and etc., this is all good of course, but I would like to bring your attention back to the business at hand.

December is a great month to attend to those things that get forgotten during year, like preventive maintenance for example. When it comes to Blanchard Grinders it may be time to clean the dreaded beast, check the lube lines, replace or repair worn water guards and check the fluid levels. For your CNC machines, have you had a Renishaw Ball Bar analysis performed in the last year? This is a good practice to identify the run out in your machines and repair ball screws and ways before they fail in mid production. Of course the one thing that can put an end to your production in an instant has nothing to do with your machinery, of course I am speaking about your Air Compressor (s). These units are used every day in your plants and are as critical to your operations as is electricity. If you have not performed regular maintenance (Oil and separator filter change) this may be a good time to schedule a visit from our air compressor technicians, we service all brands and styles.

Of course, if you have been under a rock and are not aware of HR-5297, it is aimed at helping small business, and among other provisions it raises Section 179 expensing levels to $500,000 (and the phase-out threshold amount to $2 million) The $500,000 amount applies to the cost of depreciable tangible personal property purchased for use in the active conduct of a trade or business. Hey as always, limitations apply so contact your tax adviser for complete details about HR-5297.

Lastly, do you have surplus equipment that has been sitting in your plant, not in use? Take a look around and see what you have that you would like to turn into cash and contact our sales staff. Take another spare moment in your day and click on these links to be a “fan” on our Facebook page,“follow us on Twitter, stay up to date on our Blogs or book mark our web site for all our services and machines.

Contact us

Have great Week!

Craig L. Ward

General Manager

TATER TOT CASSEROLE AND BUSINESS

Well its Thanksgiving week and I thought it would be appropriate to speak about food and business. I will do my modest best to wrap all this in to one message. Here at
F. P. Miller we have a lot to be thankful for, starting with how busy our
business is. We have seven Blanchard build outs going on, our air compressor service business is booming and we continue to get calls every day for outside machine service and repair. In fact we started off our the year with 11 service technicians / machine builders and by the end of January will have added five more. We are thankful that the workmanship by our very skilled technicians is recognized all over the country.

In a very simplistic recipe, I can make a comparison of our business with the ingredients of my kid’s favorite casserole, Tater Tot Casserole. You see you put some very basic ingredients together, throw it in the oven and out comes a delightful meal. The same goes for what we do here at F. P. Miller, we throw into a big “baking dish” a bunch of highly skilled technicians , add in a very experienced sales staff, a “customer first” plant manager and a GM that keeps the ship on track when he’s not writing these blogs and what do you get? One team, organized with a focus on the goal to better not only the products that we sell and build, but to provide our customers with the top quality service, something that we can all “hang our hat”on.

I should probably give you the recipe for Tater Tot Casserole, I guarantee it will be the best and easiest thing you ever cooked…....but I won’t, instead I will ask that you “like” us on Facebook, “follow” us on Twitter, or click the Blog link to “eat up” more of my wanderings!

Have a very Happy and Thankful, Thanksgiving!

PS: if you really want the recipe, and it is good, e-mail me at cward@fpmiller.com , I will send it along to you.

F. P. MIller JTV Show

Fresh off the video production, shortened web version of the thirty minute JTV show that was made on F. P. Miller Company, CHECK IT OUT!

Ramblin' Holiday Comments

I am starting out today’s blog with a holiday comment. A week ago I was watching TV and saw a Christmas commercial for Macy’s, are you kidding? It seems that these days we barely have time to take off our bathing suits and put away the summer fun, and the Christmas music, commercials and sales kick in. Now trust me folks, I like Christmas Holidays just as much as the next guy, but I was thinking what happened to Thanksgiving? A lot of good things happen on Thanksgiving , like food and food and pie and more food and then the Lions game, which under normal years you are lucky enough to fall asleep from a fat belly before they self-destruct. With all this being said though, I must admit I am looking forward to the next version of the Dancing Elves, I get a kick putting our sales staff photos on the Elves bodies and watching them dance the crazy moves!

Who knows maybe here at F. P. Miller Company we can use some of the early Christmas strategies in our sales and marketing? For example, unless you are under a rock or live outside of the country, you should be aware of HR- 5297. This is an HR-5297 is aimed at helping small business, and among other provisions it raises Section 179 expensing levels to $500,000 (and the phase-out threshold amount to $2 million) The $500,000 amount applies to the cost of depreciable tangible personal property purchased for use in the active conduct of a trade or business. Hey as always, Limitations apply so contact your tax adviser for complete details about HR-5297.

Of course you won’t see this advertised on the TV with dancers holding bags of gifts wearing Santa hats, but via this blog you have now been informed or reminded. Hurry, time is running out, you have less than two months to purchase! If you are in the market for a Blanchard grinder or if yours in need of repair, if you have CNC or Manual machines that you are not using and would like to sell, or if you are in need of serious repair work to machines that are giving you production fits, CALL one of our sales staff and save them from the Dancing Elves.

Don't forget to "follow" us on Twitter, "friend" us on Facebook and of course feel free to comment on this or any of our Blogs or "Share" this blog with your world.

-Craig L. Ward

"I JUST HAVE TO PUT MY MIND TO IT"

It is November already, can you believe it? Today’s Blog is about the thing that you always said you will do, but never get around to it. I am sure that this never happens to you, but in my world, it is a constant reminder that I need to make a goal and stick to it. For example, our Blanchard re-manufacturing facility is beyond swamped and we need to hire a couple of experienced machine tool builders to add to our current staff of 12 highly qualified technicians. This is just one of the business things I need to accomplish “sort of make hay while the sun is shining” if you will. I also have some personnel goals that I have made over and over again and not started, like getting my 50 year old body back in shape!

Well if anyone reads these blogs, here is a trick that I picked up in my Sandler Sales Training that may help you achieve those goals that keep slipping by every month. Take a 3 by 4 index card and write the single most important thing that you have been putting off on it. Then fold it up small and place it in your pocket with your change. Everyday take it out of your pocket and open it up and read it out loud to yourself and fold it up and put it back. I am telling you if you do this every day for thirty days, you will achieve this goal or you will be headed on the path to achieve it! Now all you have to do is decide the most important goal to work on first, but you may want to start small and go from there.

Speaking of Company goals one of our everyday goals is to locate good used CNC machine tools that are surplus on the market, if you have something that is sitting in your plant and not being used, contact us. If you are looking in to purchasing a Re-Manufactured Blanchard from us in the next six months you may want to contact our sales staff and get it in the job “Q” as we are currently building a 100”,60”,42” and 36” that are all sold. Well I will end my blog with another quote that I have heard a number of times regarding goals, “If you do not set your own goals, then you are probably living someone else’s”.

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