Welcome to another episode of Growth Challenges for Manufacturers and How to Overcome Them. I’m your host, Katherine Seymour. This episode is brought to you by MacRAE’S, trusted by North American businesses for over 100 years. As a B2B digital marketing, we help industrial and manufacturing companies struggling with stagnant growth or lead generation. By leveraging advanced AI integrated automation and in our SEO and lead generation programs, we help you appear more prominently on search and AI results, such as
chat GPT. This drives significantly more qualified leads to your website, resulting in stronger lead flow and increased revenue, crucial in today’s highly competitive digital landscape. Learn more at macraes.com today.
Today I’m joined by Jessica Young, President and CEO of CimTech, a precision CNC machining company that specializes in complex components for industries such as aerospace, defense, transportation and beyond. Under Jessica’s leadership, CimTech has built a strong reputation for delivering high tolerance, mission critical parts, combining advanced machining capabilities with a deep focus on customer service and continuous improvement. With a background that includes
executive leadership, corporate finance, and a strong commitment to compute community development, Jessica brings a unique perspective to manufacturing. One that blends technical excellence with strategic growth. Jessica, welcome. We’re so excited to dive into your story with you today.
Thank you so much for having me, Katherine. We’re excited to share the magic of the CimTech team.
Thank you so much. So Jessica, you transitioned from finance and a business background into manufacturing leadership. What drew you to the space and what inspired you to take on the helm at CimTech?
Yes, so actually even before making the jump from commercial banking into manufacturing, I actually was a accidental banker and wanted to be a sports broadcaster. So my career path has been ⁓ quite interesting, windy along the way that led to manufacturing. ⁓ But truthfully, my husband and partner Jared and I grew up in a manufacturing background, meaning both of our fathers were tradesmen. ⁓
provided fantastic resources for us growing up. We always knew that we wanted something of our own, which was fantastic when we had explored multiple opportunities, finally arriving at private placement with CimTech back in July of 2018. So we just are celebrating seven years of being on the CimTech team. And CimTech is celebrating 50 years of being a reputationally fantastic
precision machining fabricator and partner in the manufacturing world.
Amazing. Simtech is known for working with some of the most demanding industries, aerospace, defense, and transportation. What sets Simtech apart when it comes to serving these mission critical sectors?
Sure, so absolutely. It’s no secret with machining and tight tolerances, those are critical, absolutely. So we are delivering on those expectations. But moreover, our partnership approach is what sets us apart from our competitors within the marketplace. If you look at us from a three vertical system, what we bring value is actually at production level, whether that’s with precision machining, fabrication,
Yeah.
MIG TIG welding assembly or sub assembly, then your second one would be production support. So as a manufacturer to and for manufacturers throughout the United States, we are able to address problems and work collaboratively with our partners to help resolve them so that manufacturing can continue with that process. And then our third vertical that we are really excited about is our design and engineering that we are able to
who work collaboratively within the marketplace, again, driving solutions and solving problems.
Mm-hmm.
Cool, cool. Simtech has been in business for over 50 years now, as you mentioned. How have the products evolved over this time and how has the company culture and team contributed to the long-term success?
Sure. So ⁓ as a consumer and one thing that drew us to the manufacturing industry is that as a consumer, everything you do or touch comes from a manufacturer. You may be manufacturing something different from yesterday to today. And of course, with evolution and innovation, those things may change, ⁓ but just staying on the forefront. So the world is going to continue to need manufacturers. So one the pieces that we have been committed to is evolving with our partners.
Right.
Absolutely.
of the old is not necessarily the way of the new or the way that we will continue to do business. So looking for alternatives, looking for better solutions. Again, it’s not been a secret that over the last seven years and even further back than that, that there’s been a multitude of problems impacting our industry, whether that was supply chain issues, shortages, tariffs. Again, you name it. I’m sure that we’ve seen it in the last 50
Yeah.
Yeah.
years. And so it’s looking at ways to continue to provide ⁓ value at every step to our partners. So if that is issues with being able to source the certain type of material, looking collaboratively to look for alternatives that would still fit the form, fit and function necessary. Or whether that is with our engineering team, working with our customers and our partners engineering team to really think through are those
Bye.
is really necessary or really critical or what we are trying to achieve that form, fit and function. So again, that collaboration is key with any of our partners and how we’ve managed to stay relevant and continue to grow our business.
Amazing. What are some of the biggest operational challenges that you’re seeing right now in provision manufacturing? Is it still supply change delays or is it work like workforce shortages? Are those still top of mind? ⁓
absolutely. And I don’t think that those will necessarily ever go away. So it’s always being on the ready ⁓ and not just being reactive or an order taker. It’s always looking to add that value. so, yes, supply chain shortages, whether that’s the availability of material or whether that is lead times, which often ⁓ is a large impact to our customers production and manufacturing to most recently and not a secret, the tariffs.
Bye.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
and how to
hedge the pricing. And so our commitment to our partners is that we’re always trying to look two steps ahead, meaning, you know, what are ways that we can help either provide a forecast or look at material yields or again, alternatives to still accomplish what they need, but to help hedge from a costing perspective, hedge against a lead time perspective, and then still get them that quality that they’re accustomed to receiving from us.
Mm-hmm.
Good. How is CimTech addressing the talent gap in manufacturing, especially when it comes to attracting and retaining new skilled machinists and engineers?
Well, one of the pieces, Catherine, that was most appealing to Jared and I when we looked at CimTech, our purchasing CimTech and as well as our two additional purchases of action material handling and access machine and tool was the tenure of our teammates. So our average tenure of teammates here within CimTech and our subsidiaries is 20 years. And that’s with somebody like myself pulling that average down. So when you look at workforce,
One, that’s fantastic that we have that team and that historic knowledge. But two, how are you looking at tapping into that and putting that down to the next generation or bringing along the next generation? So we have worked collaboratively and continue to work collaboratively with vocational schools as well as trade schools and starting as young as in kindergarten. So you’re K through 12 to encourage
ready.
that you know manufacturing is not the old dark dirty dingy and it doesn’t provide a good career and when you look at our team you can see you know that it has provided an excellent career put food on the table for many families. We currently have 47 team members so we are about to hit that inflection point of going over the 50 team member mark and we are we could not be more excited about one how the team
Yeah, yeah.
is really tapping into that historical knowledge and training and cross training our currency members, but also how we are building that pipeline and bringing the next generation along, not just for CimTech, but for the industry at large, which is really an exciting place to be.
Yeah.
Absolutely, it’s just like the transfer of knowledge. If you have average 10 years, 20 years, those individuals have so much to share to the new generation. And I’m sure your new generation has ⁓ new ideas to bring forth too. So it’s very collaborative. That’s amazing to hear. ⁓ Syntax quality certification and process rigor clearly play a big role. How do you maintain such high standards while scaling and taking new types of projects and work?
Yes, so you’re absolutely correct. One thing that we pride ourselves on is the quality of work that we do. So that is meeting or exceeding expectations. And that means that our partners are not receiving parts that are bad. And they can immediately go into their production. And so ⁓ we have put a huge focus over the last seven years on elevating our quality department. That’s been onboarding three new engineers, quality technicians,
Yeah. ⁓
onto our team to help facilitate that process. From an end-to-end on our material, we have a quality standard met at every point, whether that is receiving of raw material in, ⁓ needs to be inspected under dual control before it hits your first operation, a quality process, as well as a checkoff point under dual control, meaning that the machinist or operator are not the ones approving their own work at every
Great.
Mm-hmm.
at every operation through the flow and of course with what we do in machining there may be 50 operations and setups between each part to our fabrication department which typically with fabrication you’re not necessarily meeting or have to meet the critical tolerances that you would in a precision machining. However, that is a fantastic value add that we’re able to take ⁓ to our partners.
Yeah.
Bye.
and was an ask of our partners. If you can do this on the machining level, can you do this on the fabrication side? So we’ve committed to truly not only enhancing our quality department, but all of our machining ⁓ operations and training of our operators at every level and across each of our departments.
That’s
amazing. So it trusts value in the brand clearly 50 years and as well as evolving and making sure you trust your parts. And obviously your clients trust your parts too. That’s amazing. From a technological standpoint, how do you see CNC machining evolving? Are there automations, robotics, or any data systems that are changing the way your team operates?
Yes, absolutely.
⁓
yes. I mean, I think that’s it’s constantly changing and it’s staying on the forefront of that. ⁓ And, you know, I mentioned the word collaboration and you’re probably like, I’m so sick of hearing her say that. But that is truly that that collaboration at every level. And that starts in house. And so within our four walls, what can we control? And that’s doing the research, staying up on the innovation, making sure that we’re adapting to the latest technologies that are available, not just on the precision machining side, but as mentioned on the quality assurance.
side or on the fabrication side, down to even automated processes and innovation on the business side or the marketing side. And so when you think of manufacturing, it’s more than just producing the part, right? It’s touching every aspect of the business realm, every aspect to a consumer. And so that collaboration starts within our four walls. And so we, in an effort to stay on the forefront of the technology,
Bye.
Mm-hmm.
Right.
and innovation, we are meeting regularly to uncover what is new out in the marketplace, whether that’s 3D printing of prototypes, one that’s a more cost-effective way to check things versus setting up a machine for one piece, where you’re eating the setups in the cycle time all in that.
Ready?
Right.
And so that’s just one example of staying on the forefront of the innovation. And then again, that collaboration both internally and externally with our partners so that we are the best in class through every level. ⁓
which is really amazing. It shows an opportunity to learn and grow and just keep moving forward for sure. Simtech emphasizes partnerships and long-term relationships with their clients. How do you ensure a great customer experience, especially when it was such high stakes products as well as timelines? ⁓
Absolutely.
So one non-negotiable for us is communication. Clear communication, both on the first step, which is setting the expectations of deliverables. And that works both ways, right? So there may be things in order for us to provide the best in class parts, we may need to work with their engineers to obtain different models or understand the form, fit and function. And so really at the core of it, it boils down to clear communication.
Right.
and that is throughout the entire process. We have a what we call the CimTech way of doing business and that is making sure that we understand what the opportunity is, whether that’s a one-time opportunity or whether that’s you have this problem that we need to look to solve, agreeing upon the deliverables, so mutually agreed upon deliverables, and then touch points through that deliverable process, whether that is, all right, this is going into production.
I eat.
Mm-hmm.
and we welcome their engineering team to come over if it’s a prototype or if it is gearing up to be a PPAP part or requiring first article inspection reports necessary so that we are again continually meeting or exceeding those expectations and communication is 100 % key.
Thank you.
Sure, and it makes sense because that not only keeps everybody on board, but it keeps everybody, like you said, expectations on deliverables, Like where there should be amazing.
Well, yes, and when
you think about it, I mean, we are as a manufacturer two and four manufacturers. If we don’t hit on our deliverables, then that is going to hinder their production of their product, which is not what we want. We’re all on the same team here. So how can we help elevate and rise up the industry and our partners?
Mm-hmm.
Bye.
Exactly.
amazing. Can you share an example where CimTech helped a customer like solve a major production challenge and maybe where others had struggled as well?
Yes, yes, absolutely. I actually thinking through about 50 examples just in the last year in my head. But one in particular, and very, very proud of this particular project was actually the problem was for a distribution company actually over in Louisville, Kentucky. They had been a partner, they are nonprofit, and they had noticed that the problem was
glass, glass bottles specifically because liquor only has a certain shelf life were being dumped out and then put into a landfill. Well, glass is actually a material that can be recycled endlessly. And so instead of putting the product into landfills and the garbage, what were ways that we could look to reuse it? And so the customer had the idea of a glass recycling
Bye.
Hello?
Mm-hmm.
product. Basically taking the glass bottles of which they had dumped the liquor or the contents out of them and turning them back into either a colette or a sand form that can it can be used actually multifaceted which is really amazing because I would have never thought that glass being crushed down would actually you could run it against your hands and in colette form wouldn’t cause any cuts or lacerations.
Yeah, yeah.
⁓
And so we partnered with this particular company and were able to help them with what they call their recycle well project, which launched just about a year ago. They have already crushed over 44 tons of glass. So that’s going back into production versus being stuffed in a landfill. And our team of engineers, fabricators and machinists were able to put together their entire glass crushing system.
⁓
Wow.
So that includes a 30-foot conveyor taking it up all ergonomics OSHA regulations to a hopper that went through their glass crusher and then shot out to be able to be loaded back onto semis to go back to the glass bottling plants.
Bye.
That’s
amazing! So that’s a really amazing example. that and really thinking outside the box, for sure. Um… Yep.
Well, and it goes back to my favorite C word, collaboration.
Absolutely. No, absolutely. And to be honest
with you, just from doing these podcasts and speaking to manufacturers, collaboration is huge. like you said, manufacturing touches every aspect from the production to the consumer. So it’s so important. As a modern manufacturer with a strong brand identity, how has CimTech approached digital marketing or outreach to attract new business?
Yes, so ⁓ staying up on edge of the marketing ⁓ aspect. when we, Jared and I first had come into SymTech, we were like, they’ve got a great reputation ⁓ and we’ve got customers across the United States that have been our customers for 43 years at the time, you know, since inception. We’re like, how can we tell that story? And so from a marketing perspective, that’s what we said that we could bring to the table. We’ve got the fantastic machinists, we’ve got fantastic
Yeah.
Right, right.
fantastic,
extremely well versed fabricators, great quality department, great team. But how can we tell that story? And Jared and I were the first to say, look, we are not master machinists or engineers, but what we can do is help tell the story. And that story should be something that you’re very proud of. When you look around, you know, tell your family like, yes, you come to a train crossing and you see the signal come down. We make the parts for that. Or if you go to a Texas roadhouse and you look up and you see the star at the
Yeah.
Yeah.
bar of a Texas Roadhouse, we fabricate the metal star. And so it’s it really is starting with the telling the story, but telling the story internally. And then that takes it externally, and just just riding that that that wave of pride and reputation. And then then they start thinking, well, okay, well, this is going to need these kind of parts. Have you ever thought about doing that? And so by kind of word of mouth and bringing the team together to look, we’ve been able to
Mm-hmm.
For sure.
to take our marketing approach and kind of funnel it down and out in that regards.
Makes sense.
For manufacturers trying to differentiate themselves in a competitive field, what advice do you have to give them in terms of branding or messaging or even customer communication?
Well,
I think it’s…
more of not hiding behind an email. So when we talk about communication, it doesn’t mean hide behind an email or wait till you’re late on a product and then say, ⁓ like not needing a prompt by somebody to explain that you’re gonna be late on something. So I do think that that piece of advice is being upfront and honest. ⁓ If you can’t hit a date or this was the request, even at the forefront, if that’s quoting, be honest and that’s always
Yeah
Bye.
been our North Star is like, listen, we, you know, we may be able to do it, but if we can’t do it in the time frame or within your ⁓ your costs or your budget, then we’re going to be upfront with you. We don’t like surprises and we don’t want to surprise you with things, ⁓ missing dates or lack of communication. So I yeah, as far as piece of advice, I 100 % would say be honest, don’t hide behind emails and set those expectations up front.
for sure.
For sure, and to be honest with you, I think everybody appreciates that. The touch points as well as the honesty, and I think that helps along with the process. So that’s an excellent piece of advice. ⁓
Yes, well,
and like I always say, you may not like what we’re telling you, but we want to be honest and we want to set those expectations because I’d rather, you know, may not say that I’m going to get you something in two weeks and then it be four and then you’re mad at me for, yeah, the whole, you’re handling me for those two weeks that I missed.
Hahaha
For sure.
Absolutely.
If we could help you generate 200 to 300 percent more qualified leads this year, what would those leads ideally look like? Is there a specific type of company, industry, or project that you’re most helpful or a great fit for some tech?
Yes, so as mentioned, we are a manufacturer of two and four manufacturers and that really is across the gamut as far as industry goes. We do, as you mentioned, work for the Department of Transportation on the infrastructure side. We do provide production work, production support work. So truly any industry is on the table. As far as qualified leads ⁓ and that generation,
low to mid-level volume production type of house. So we’re not looking at hundreds of thousands of parts over the course of a six-month time frame, but hundreds to thousands, low thousands would definitely be our sweet spot. So repeatable, forecastable business is absolutely one of the pieces. But I do say that kind of tongue in cheek because the production support and the job shop is
Yeah.
is also something that we can bring to the table. So whether that’s helping with a tool crib or a customer has a part ⁓ or a product, for example, that they don’t have prints on, we are able to break it apart, reverse engineer it, and then recreate it. So kind of the sky’s the limit on what we can do. Our tagline, and we joke about this, is there’s nothing we can’t make but a baby and nothing we can’t fix but a broken heart. Quite literally, there is nothing off the
You
with our capabilities, our capacity, and the brain power that we have with our team.
That’s amazing. Looking ahead, what are you most excited about for CimTech’s future, whether it’s new capabilities, markets, or even initiatives?
Yes, so I’m so glad that you asked this question, Catherine. We just went patent pending on our own proprietary product. That is not to say that we are not still a manufacturer, two in four manufacturers across the U.S. We still stand here ready to partner at every step of the way. But our patented or patent pending ⁓ product actually was another example of here’s a problem that our customer or potential customer at the time had.
Yeah.
Our team of engineers were able to help solve that problem and that was an issue within their production of their product. So they are queued up for turn times and we were able to provide a mechanism that allowed to expedite their turn times. ⁓ We have 10 of those in the field currently and are rolling out our big commercialization plan where we are not only going to help ⁓ manufacturers ⁓
Mm-hmm.
to achieve those goals directly, but we are hopeful that we can get our product, our mechanism into cataloged items such as an equipment depot or an add-on for that lifting device. So very exciting.
Bye.
and I’ll help so many more ⁓ individuals and companies along the way. That’s really, really cool.
Absolutely.
Jessica, thank you so much for joining us today. Your leadership journey and vision for CimTech are incredibly inspiring, especially your commitment to excellence, growth and community. It’s clear that CimTech is not only building parts, but you’re also building trust and long-term impact in the manufacturing field. We appreciate your time and insights and to all our listeners, we’ll catch you on the next episode of Growth Challenges for Manufacturers. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
This blog post is based on our recent podcast interview with Jessica Young, President and CEO of CimTech, a precision CNC machining company specializing in complex components for aerospace, defense, and transportation industries.
Jessica Young's career journey reads like anything but a traditional manufacturing story. Starting with aspirations in sports broadcasting, then moving into commercial banking, Jessica's path to becoming President and CEO of CimTech proves that diverse backgrounds can bring unique value to manufacturing leadership.
"I was an accidental banker and wanted to be a sports broadcaster," Jessica shares about her unconventional route. "My career path has been quite interesting and windy along the way that led to manufacturing."
In July 2018, Jessica and her husband Jared took over CimTech through a private placement, bringing fresh perspective to a company with 50 years of manufacturing excellence. Both coming from families with tradesmen fathers, they understood the value that manufacturing provides to families and communities.
Contact us to explore how we can help your business grow.
