Bust-up in Brazil

We ran a story on an interesting event at the FEIMAFE 2009 show in Brazil. A new CNC control on display created quite a stir when an interested operator attempted to take a photo with his cell phone. A security guard intercepted the attempt and quickly ushered the man away. What were they trying to hide? Witnesses stated the control demonstration centered on increased productivity. Supposedly, they described it as “exponentially” better productivity. Is this somehow tied in to the shop in Asheville? We need to look further into this. Check out our story on www.cnceyeteam.com.

Job Shops Held Back by G-Code

Today at the CNC EyeTeam newsroom we updated our editor on the HBH job shop investigation. I told him the two guys chasing us outside of HBH had to be from RELIC. Their car had a bumper sticker that read “Who controls the past, controls the future.” Our editor had trouble believing RELIC was involved. He suggested they are an old reliable corporation that basically owns the job shop machine control industry, though not the most advanced CNC, but that’s ok because job shops have long accepted them. As our editor was saying this, my cameraman revealed that he had saved our recent investigative footage by downloading it to his cell phone. Upon seeing this footage, our editor seemed convinced there is a big story here. Hopefully we are now moving ahead with our investigation.

Closer to truth...and danger

Tonight, Joe and I finally snuck into HBH. I witnessed their unusual productivity inside the shop. Suddenly, we were accosted by a security guard who took us to a room and interrogated us about what we knew about HBH having “cracked the G-code.” Then an HBH boss demanded to know who tipped me off about their faster setups and easier CNC. Of course, I wouldn’t reveal my source. Before they threw us out, they unraveled all the tape in Joe’s camera and I was furious. Just then I got a call on my cell. I recognized the voice immediately as Dark Cover. He mentioned RELIC, the big CNC manufacturer, claiming “it’s a condition job shops have tolerated for too long”. Then he said we’d been “compromised.” Sure enough, we looked up and saw two guys videotaping us from a black car. They began to chase our van, about to catch us when a truck pulled out and blocked their way. On the truck were the words “Seeing is Believing”. I’m determined to find out what it means.

CNC Secret is Well-Protected

Tried to get into the HBH job shop tonight, but never expected the high fences and high security. Their night production was rolling, odd in this economy. Somehow, we need to get into the shop, get to the secret behind their unusual production. Will try again soon, but plan our approach more carefully.

Job Shops Need to Know

Joe (my camerman) and I are on a plane to Asheville. I keep going over that phone call from Dark Cover. If HBH is experiencing productivity that high, there have to be some amazing process improvements going on, both at the machine and shop-wide. And if they have access to CNC that advanced, all job shops have a right to know. These are hard times for most job shops and if they’re going to survive, they need to find ways to reduce costs and get more out of their machines. This is more than a news story. It’s about people keeping their jobs and job shops keeping their doors open.

The Road to the Truth

I don’t know what HBH is trying to hide but in a few days my cameraman and I are flying to Asheville, North Carolina to find out. We’re not leaving until we get to the truth. What is the secret behind their remarkable productivity?

Job Shop with a Secret

I’ve been calling HBH for two days trying to get a comment but all I’m getting is the runaround. Nobody there will talk to me. And my informant, Dark Cover, has been silent.