Factory Cleaning house sale

cincinnati · Post by **cincinnati** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 2:50 pm

I got an e-mail from shopsmith they are having a cleaning house sale at the factory. 10-17 and 18th. Selling off things like desks, trash cans. used tools. The DISCONTINUED overarm pin router.
MANUFACTURING EQUIPMENT:eek:

said-

Weve been changing some of the ways we do a lot of things around here to make Shopsmith a leaner, more efficient business."

wlhayesmfs · Post by **wlhayesmfs** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:41 pm

Sound too much like a closing house sale. I am not feeling good about this at all. Find something I can really get into and was saving for the get together next year since I never could make it before and now???:(

dicksterp · Post by **dicksterp** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:54 pm

I wish they would send that email to me.

Dick

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 4:19 pm

wlhayesmfs wrote:Sound too much like a closing house sale. I am not feeling good about this at all. Find something I can really get into and was saving for the get together next year since I never could make it before and now???:(

Me thinks you worry too much. Unless you go there and find that they are selling factory equipment and current model Shopsmith gear for significantly reduced prices I would trust that they are just cleaning house and stream lining. Remember, they have down sized and need a lot less administrative work space/equipment/furniture.

I'd love to have that old OPR.

Read Mister Folkerth's note to the forum. He would not have taken the time to write that if he was knowingly counting down to the end.

dicksterp, etal - while you maybe did not receive that email I would not hesitate for a second to show up on the advertised days if I wanted to.

If I was within reasonable driving distance I guarantee I would be there.

fjimp · Post by **fjimp** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 6:41 pm

dusty wrote:Me thinks you worry too much. Unless you go there and find that they are selling factory equipment and current model Shopsmith gear for significantly reduced prices I would trust that they are just cleaning house and stream lining. Remember, they have down sized and need a lot less administrative work space/equipment/furniture.

I'd love to have that old OPR.

Read Mister Folkerth's note to the forum. He would not have taken the time to write that if he was knowingly counting down to the end.

dicksterp, etal - while you maybe did not receive that email I would not hesitate for a second to show up on the advertised days if I wanted to.

If I was within reasonable driving distance I guarantee I would be there.

I agree with Dusty Mr. Folkerth's comments were to the point and not the sort of communication one would write if the business was intentionallly to be closed. Further the items listed are all described as excess no longer required for future operation of Shopsmith. All business entities clean house periodically. In case you haven't noticed we as a nation are in the midst of the toughest of financial climates. Our home has been on the market for nearly 10 months with no buyers. We in fact have finally decided to remove it from the market and stay put for now. It's times like these we all find it necessary to watch our spending and inventories very carefully. Today my wife and I visited a big box store and were shocked to see huge areas of the store barren. The store employees explained they have been offering huge discounts to clean out slow moving or discontinued merchandise. I will find it interesting to see how fully stocked the store is for the coming holiday season. Perhaps we need to give the folks at Shopsmith a break and do our best to support them during these tough times. Fjimp

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 8:13 pm

Looks to me that Mr F. is taking Shopsmith back to the lean company he once started. I haven't read the History of Shopsmith lately, but as I remember, Bob Folkerth picked up the remains of Magna (Figuratively out of scrap) and built up what we know as Shopsmith. Nothing wrong with that! It's probably a good idea!

There may be some hard to get special parts, but anything made in the SS Factory should be available.

nuhobby · Post by **nuhobby** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 8:23 pm

I suspect the discontinued overarm pin-router is that 1980s-decade design with one vertical tube.

I think the Current Overarm Pin Router is still in production -- I've got one on order as of a week ago with no indications it won't be shipped.

Stand by for some neat set-ups I'll post once I have it all together!

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 8:36 pm

nuhobby wrote:I suspect the discontinued overarm pin-router is that 1980s-decade design with one vertical tube.

I think the Current Overarm Pin Router is still in production -- I've got one on order as of a week ago with no indications it won't be shipped.

Stand by for some neat set-ups I'll post once I have it all together!

Thinking you are right on, Chris! The Discontinued OPR most probably refers to that older set up. The remaining parts will be a BOON to those of us looking for those parts.

Here's looking forward to your neat set ups! My OPR is a very fun SPT.

shydragon · Post by **shydragon** » Sat Oct 04, 2008 10:40 pm

The company is really big in cleaning house, and in the 80's & early 90's, it was not looking to good. At that time, the company started looking at ways to cut costs, inventory, a smaller work force, etc. The company started focusing on Lean Manufacturing, and since then it has evolved to QVS "Quality, Value, Speed" and so many programs. Currently the company is very strong, growing, and new plants are being built in many parts of the world.

One of the programs was called the 6S,
Sort - Distinguish between what is needed and not needed and to remove the latter.
Stabilize - Enforce a place for everything and everything in its place.
Shine - Clean up the workplace and look for ways to keep it clean.
Standardize - Maintain and monitor adherence to the first three Ss.
Sustain - Follow the rules to keep the workplace 6S-right—"maintain the gain.".
Safety - Eliminate hazards.

Maybe this is what SS is trying to do.

In the beginning, I didn't buy in to all this, but it actually works.

connok · Post by **connok** » Sun Oct 05, 2008 7:22 pm

I have to take exception the 6S program. The purpose of a factory is high rate production at the highest quality the market will bear. Anything that impedes production must be eliminated and the producers must be supported toward that goal. Who has time to 'sort'? Who decides what 'sorted' really means? I had my tools 'sorted' to my liking only to have some non-value adding auditor come by and write me up for not adhearing to his idea of what I was supposed to be doing. Polishing took the place of producing. Daily checks included condition of ceiling tiles, posting idiotic signs and the like. As you can imagine, we didn't last long after that. Some companies get sold a bill of goods from a gold digging consultant and carry the concept too far. I hope Shopsmith is smarter than that.

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