January 2008 Edition

EDITOR'S CORNER

Decisions, Decisions

In a world of constant technology updates, when is the right time to buy a new machine?

For a lot of manufacturers, both in and out of the metalworking industry, change means life. Take Microsoft for example. The Vista operating system was released and now comes standard on new PCs. The trouble is that there's been a lot of push-back from users about its failing to live up to the hype surrounding its release. John Dvorak, a leading computer commentator, has even gone so far as to set up a "death watch" for Vista. He's of the opinion that it is not long for this world, at least in its current incarnation.

Not to seem more curmudgedly than I am, but why was Vista released when Windows XP seemed to be doing an adequate job? The nominal answer is that it plugs security holes. Too well, according to some users. Many of the security "features" have to be turned off to accomplish routine processes.

Some of the real, but unstated, reasons for the release of Vista was perhaps the idea that unless Microsoft released something new-and-improved, it would look to investors like the company wasn't maintaining its presence on the technological cutting edge. For technology-driven companies, even presenting the impression of marking time can be a death knell. Like sharks, high-tech companies must keep moving forward or die in the eyes of investors.

A second reason would be that the company needs to cater to some users who demand new products just for the bragging rights of staying on the bleeding edge of technology. Remember the lines of computer aficionados who camped out to be the first purchasers of the less-than-fantastic Windows Millennium Edition?

This kind of update-for-update's-sake takes place across all industries, from cell phones to machine tools. Once a technology reaches its peak of refinement, many improvements are just bells and whistles. Does the latest cell phone with a built-in mp3 player, digital camera, video capture, Internet access, and GPS system really enhance the telephonic experience? Does an Apple iPhone – for which early adopters paid a $200 premium – make calling Aunt Sophie, who still uses a rotary-dial phone, to ask about her lumbago that much better?

Sometimes New Does Not Equal Better

These constant updates also are taking place in the metalworking industry. I get between 30 and 50 e-mails a day announcing new products. Many of the messages are about CAD/CAM software releases. According to the press release, Version 10.5.01b is astoundingly more improved than Version 10.5.01a. Perhaps so, but I wonder if the users out there have taken advantage of all of the capabilities of Version 9.0 yet.

The same goes for machines. With all of the software and controls available, are shops taking full advantage of all of a machine's capabilities or is it just a shinier version of a mill doing the same job as a 20-year-old machine? If an old war-horse is doing the job, there's not much need to retire it. For example, Dave Sterling, in one of his columns ["An Old 'Friend' Retires After 29 Years," July 2007, Vol. 40, No. 7, p. 10], wrote about his shop using a 1978 Warner and Swasey 2-SC CNC machine until recently. The machine was still useful, but maintenance problems and other factors had aged it out. So there are times when an investment in a new machine is not only for that new-car smell, but is justified for efficiency as well.

There is also planned obsolescence. As change and improvements in accuracy and tolerances progress, does it make sense for machines to be designed to last 30 years when manufacturers know that in less than 10 years time there will be machines that will do the same job faster, cheaper, and more accurately? Some self-professed old-timers have decried the shortened life-span of newer machines compared to older behemoths.

While it is all well and good for a machine to last nearly as long as a machinist's career, to stay competitive, a shop must have the right tools. That can mean getting new equipment long before the old has outlived its usefulness.

It takes the judicious shop manager or owner to determine when it's time to buy into new technology.