Editor's CommentaryView Walter Grinder's on-demand webinar, inMotion "How & Why You Should Consider CNC Tool Grinding."
When Buck Buchenroth of West Ohio Tool Co. tells you what really sets them apart is the “relationships we’ve built with our employees, our customers, and our vendors” you might be tempted to roll your eyes. Until you consider that:
- President Kerry Buchenroth spends most of his time at the customer’s spindle, not at West Ohio and not in your purchasing manager’s office.
- They specialize in custom drills, reamers, and step tools and rarely touch endmills.
- They generally manage to lower both cost-per-part and tool cost (it’s common for them to improve tool life ten-fold in a given application).
- They don’t compete on fast delivery or price.
Doesn’t mean they’re slow or expensive. But they work with you on big improvements, not quick fixes or shaving pennies. And that’s just for openers. The more you learn about West Ohio, the more you realize this “relationship thing”
is not just real - it pays big dividends. Because as Sandvik’s data shows (see chart below), a custom cutting tool can greatly lower the cost per part.