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better production Shops Using Technology significant company-wide changes were also deemed necessary to keep up with orders. For example, it changed its hours of operation to keep spindles running longer. The shop began running two 10-hour shifts Monday through Thursday, and two 12-hour shifts from Friday to Sunday. "We were almost running around the clock with four shifts," Mr. Dunnagan says. To maintain the highest possible levels of 110 MMS September 2013 mmsonline.com equipment utilization, Cope also performs preventive maintenance on the majority of its equipment, reserving service calls only for warranty issues. It also keeps a deep inventory of wear parts and a well-rounded maintenance staff that can perform tasks such as replacing spindles and ballscrews. Never Settle for Good While instituting CAM programming improvements and changing hours of operation to improve spindle utilization have helped Cope turn projects quickly, the company still strives to improve its quality and consistency. Although the recent emphasis on standardization of CNC manufacturing strategies and programming has helped engineers and programmers find a good way to manufacture par ts, it does not necessarily mean it's the best solution. S o, t h e c o m p a ny assigned two additional staf fers to the threeperson programming department to examine its existing manufacturing processes and suggest creative way to im p rove u p o n th o s e processes. The staffers a re b e i n g tr a i n e d i n Mastercam to help them experiment with a nd imple me nt the ir discoveries. Mr. Eiland reports that they have made many recommendations that have increased productivity by as much as 30 percent in just over a year.