After a difficult winter and spring, business had picked up at the Aurora machine shop the Sheahans started back in 2007 — Platinum Precision Machining.
The last three months have been very positive for us. Orders have steadily increased each month since May. And, for the first time since last October, the orders we receive are once again proportionate to the work we have quoted.
Production numbers in May were the worst since we started this business, but we took the opportunity and down time to really get out there and sell Platinum. We’ve talked to companies developing alternative energy sources, nanotechnology and electric cars.
We also implemented a formal quality manual and updated our marketing image with new business cards and fliers. These changes have produced not only more work for us but a better quality of work.
Product development and custom prototype work has increased noticeably. We’ve gone from the occasional custom project to several a month. We’ve developed and manufactured parts for a variety of companies, including a specialized medical company, a home-improvement company and a local car-restoration company. We’ve made speaker covers, fine adjust fixturing, dash panels and many other projects for people who walked in the door with just an idea and a vision.
We’re still working on the development and marketing of our own products, but, with the increased production orders from our regular customer base, that project is moving slower than anticipated.
We’ve said from the beginning that the only way we’ll make this business successful is to be flexible and remain open to new projects, challenges and ideas.
It was hard to stay focused on our long-term goals in May and the six months leading up to it, but we remain cautiously optimistic today that the economy is rebounding and the upward trend we are experiencing will continue.
