Is your portable machining supplier on your side when it comes to making the most of scheduled downtime? If you’re blowing planned downtime scopes during routine field maintenance, it may be time to ask whether they truly offer the support you need. After four decades of providing reliable portable machining products and services on some of the world’s biggest, dirtiest and high-stakes industrial jobs, we believe a proactive approach can stop downtime from spiraling out of control. Are you ready for outage season?Cut your pipe-cutting time with a Mactech clamshell lathe. Low-clearance design gives you the precision and quality you need for successful plant turnarounds. 7 inches of axial clearance 6< inches of radial clearance Available in sizes 2” – 60” 3 different models for a wide range of applications Split-frame design for easy mounting on in-line casing systems Order now How proactive is your current vendor? Try asking these three questions before hiring them for your next job. How do I know you’re giving me the right tooling? — There’s nothing worse than being elbow-deep in a repair and realizing you’re missing the gear needed to help you finish on time. A proactive vendor initiates your sale with a thorough discovery call for accurate scope. What are your after-hours customer service policies? — In this field, jobs rarely run 9-5. If emergency calls to your vendor always go straight to voicemail, it’s time to find a new one. They can’t go missing on weekends and holidays, either. And when they answer, they need to be backed by the resources that help you find solution. Do your manuals give me the information I actually need? — From cluttered text blocks to unnavigable section headers, useless manuals are a major red flag. When simple answers are buried under pages of warnings and background engineering, you’re less likely to familiarize yourself with them, and they become especially difficult to reference under stress Proper tooling, good customer service and legible manuals may seem like no-brainers for reputable portable machining companies. But if your current partner falls short in any of those three areas, you’re injecting avoidable risks into a routine maintenance event that’s intended to mitigate them. Ready for a better portable machining partner now? Contact Mactech. Complete tooling kits help you finish the job on time New machining tools or products are a major investment. But in the excitement of a sale, it’s easy to gloss over details like the accessories needed to unlock your machine’s full potential. And that pit in your stomach when you realize your kit’s missing tooling for proper setup and quick changeovers? Your machining vendor’s scoping process should protect you from ever feeling that way. Whether it’s the heads needed to shift your boring bar from rough cuts to fine cuts, HPUs that meet the environmental standards of your site location or accessory tooling uniquely qualified to help you complete the task at hand, it’s your vendor’s job to outfit you properly. This process starts during the scoping process, long before money ever changes hands. And your scope of work must include far more details than location, timeline and budget. A proactive vendor gets answers to questions like: When are your scheduled shift hours? What type of material will you be machining? Is there a certified electrician onsite to connect the equipment? How much site support — scaffolding, man lift equipment, welding, rigging or cranes — can you provide? Does your team need site safety training? Where are the closest radial and longitudinal obstructions, and can you provide photos? The goal shouldn’t just be properly equipping you, but protecting you from being over-equipped, too. After all, it would be easy to sell you more than you need — and then shrug as unnecessary tooling burns money in your budget. But honest machining vendors outfit you without exploiting your vulnerabilities. At Mactech, every machine comes with a packing list. Before leaving the shop, two separate individuals review that list for completion. And when your shipment arrives, it’s easy to crosscheck your kit to verify that nothing was forgotten. And if there’s anything else you need — from missing tooling to an in-house field machinist — we can pull from resources shared across three national equipment locations, and we’re always just a phone call away. Why Mactech? Read our elevator pitch. Cutting on-site machining costs by 90 percent for this reverse pinion stub shaftWhen our client decided to reverse the pinion on their stub shaft, they wanted to do everything possible to avoid disassembling the gearbox for off-site work — a task that costs up to $50,000. But by using a clamshell lathe with a counterbore attachment and a rack drill, the Mactech team completed the job for just $5,000. Customer service that actually supports you Chances are, you’re no button pusher working in an assembly plant. Every day is different. But for field technicians across most industries, the one constant is that planned maintenance usually gets scheduled over the holidays. That’s just the nature of the job. Unfortunately, a lot of portable machining vendors don’t accommodate that. So while you’re spending Christmas Eve decommissioning offshore oil platforms or facing power plant pipe in sub-zero conditions and you suddenly need help, too many machining reps see your problems as something that can wait. And as they ignore your calls, you risk getting blamed for profit losses caused by production delays. Don’t settle for a rep who sends you to voicemail Under a tight deadline, it’s tough to swallow the stress caused by unexpected maintenance delays. Your machining vendor needs both empathy and expertise to respond to mid-job problems. At a bare minimum, that starts with a commitment to being available. Whether it’s Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July, the Mactech team understands your pressures because we cut our teeth in the field. We get it. And our core values drive the processes that shape great customer service — including direct lines to dedicated reps. “With a lot of providers, you have to deal with whoever’s on call this week. With Mactech, I’ve got Al’s number, Mo’s number, Todd’s number — I just call them all directly.”— Tyler Bond, global operations manager, NNW Oil We call this “hustling to the whistle.” It means being on a first-name basis with reps who actually answer those midnight phone calls, connect you with the right resources as quickly as possible and troubleshoot problems via text messages, video calls or even site visits. And our dedicated team commits to being available to you 24 hours a day, every day of the year. And your vendor should offer rapid responses to your requests A proactive service mindset refers to both minor and major questions — and it doesn’t stop at just “getting answers.” We’re talking about real-life action. Your needs can change quickly, and your vendor must demonstrate adaptability to meet those changes. At Mactech, we build files on every customer in our CRM system. This integrated process helps us review your scope and the parameters of your project without wasting time asking you to rehash what you’ve already explained to us. And from jumping to new solutions like parts replacements or on-site machining services, we can mobilize faster to help you finish projects on time. Single-source vendors risk bigger delays Complex machinery often comes with several interchangeable components. If you accidentally got a hydraulic unit when what you need should be air-driven, or a high-use part failed and you’re missing a replacement, your rep needs to process and deliver replacements as quickly as possible. But delays can compound if your vendor’s footprint is limited to one place on the other side of the country. Vendors with multiple national locations can pool resources for faster responses when you need help — and that capability gives you a better shot at a best-value plan. One more thing: When you need on-site attention, an agile vendor supplies qualified service specialists to get you back up and running as soon as possible. Precise user guides you’ll actually use Bad manuals are frustrating, and we see them constantly. From poor organization to vague directions, it’s why so many field personnel let them collect dust on a job. The next time a shipment arrives from your portable machining vendor, study their guidebooks and ask yourself the following questions: Could I navigate this under stress? — It’s one thing to flip through a manual on a lazy Sunday morning. It’s another thing entirely when it’s midnight, you’re four hours short of a critical deadline, 40+ hours away from completion and you’re overwhelmed. Manuals should be logical and organized, and include diagrams or images as needed. Is all this information relevant? — The more complicated your equipment, the longer your manual will be. But cluttered handbooks that bury key user information slow you from getting the information you need. You shouldn’t have to know how to build a clamshell lathe when all you’re trying to do is use one to cut pipe on a Bakken Formation job. Where’s my cleaning cheat sheet? — While quality tools can withstand conditions like salt, wind and extreme temperature swings, there’s no need to compound field stressors with abuse. A good vendor gives you easy-to-reference care directions. These “cheat sheets” explain when and how to conduct basic upkeep like tightening bolts and brushing away chips. “The maintenance that Mactech recommends for their diamond wire saws are spot on. As long as it’s followed, then you’ll get that reliability out of the tool.”— Chad Comeux, ROV project manager, Oceaneering Need expertise a manual can’t teach? Ask if your vendor offers in-person training There’s nothing wrong with learning from doing. Heck, most of the Mactech team is made up of hands-on learners. That’s why we’re always happy to bring you to any of our locations to teach you how to use our equipment. Our comprehensive program includes training, equipment inspections and hazard assessments to ensure safe working conditions for you in the field. Best of all? Lessons for customers are always on the house. Want a portable machining partner who hustles to the whistle for you? Work ethic and skill will get you far in any blue-collar industry. But without the proper tooling, customer service and user-friendly resources, your hands are tied. That’s why you need a proactive, portable machining supplier who treats you like a partner. With Mactech, you get service defined by our three uniques: Exceptional people and equipment — Great machines need great people, and we’ve focused on both since 1974. Some things don’t change. Expertise from experience — We learn by doing, and we understand your challenges because we’ve been there, too. Passionate customer commitment — When it comes to our clients, our team brings a “we before me” attitude for every job. The next time you want to buy, rent or invest in field-based service, we’re the portable machining provider who’s always ready to work hard for our customers. Already thinking about your next job? Contact us today.