We wanted to introduce ourselves! My name is Dan and this is my son Ethan. Ethan has been running CNC machines since the beginning of Covid and loves seeing his ideas come to life. He started with a ShopSabre 23 and recently built the MR1 that now resides in the shop next to it. When our school went to homeschooling in the Spring of '20, I decided Ethan needed to learn some “real” skills so he learned CAD, CAM and entrepreneurship. He has done more with it than I could have hoped.
I am Dan Shockley, one of the founding partners at LFM Captial in Nashville. Some of you made have seen the announcement last week that LFM Capital and ShopSabre recently partnered with Langmuir Systems. I got a big kick out of some of the comments on the announcement thread as it is pretty common for us to be lumped in with other PE firms and their choices and strategies. My sincere hope is that with time, we will prove to you just how different we are - as we did with both the ShopSabre and Langmuir Systems teams before they would partner with us. I really think, that for both companies, their best years are ahead for the company and their customers!
As many of you, I am most excited about getting more of these great products for ourselves. In fact, I paid for an XR yesterday and can’t wait for it to arrive. Beyond that, this team has so many exciting ideas for the future - and through this partnership we hope to speed up making them available to you all.
No pressure here my friend, just a good handful of us have put our faith in Langmuir products to reduce or eliminate our need to bust our butts for a corporate world who could care less. The motto “it is just business” is a motto I once believed in and now understand it is simply a phrase to try and escape responsibility.
Thanks for chiming in on the forum. I think that it shows a lot of character.
MartyY and TinWhisperer - Thanks for the warm welcome.
MartyY, appreciate the comments. I actually do feel a lot of pressure. A lot of our partnerships, like Langmuir Systems and ShopSabre, are with the folks that built these great companies. They entrust their business, their employees and their customers to us. It is part of our DNA to feel the weight of that trust and do all we can to honor them. We will not always get everything right, but I do think that the obligation that we feel is part of what guides us. Beyond that, we want to keep doing this for 20+ years. A key component of that is being good stewards so that folks like the Downs (and the Bombardos) keep choosing us as a partner!
I am excited to be on the forum and will look forward to you all helping Ethan along his journey (I just told him about the XR a little while ago. It’s a good day to be 14.)
Welcome Dan and Ethan !! Like mentioned previously, I think you showing up here in the forum is a very good thing… Make sure to chime in whenever you can!! Happy to have you both here…
AND…
Ethan, I’m a little jealous!! Great start to a full shop you have going there!!
Also, I immediately noticed your user name!! You will find quite a few Hoonigan fans around here!!
Welcome aboard Dan and Ethan. Giod to see you here and this will go a long ways to helping calm some peoples thoughts about the acquisition of Langmuir. Also goes a long way to be supporting Langmuir with purchases. Wish you the best of luck and hope yall stay active here in the forum!!
Thanks for posting and great to see you fostering the passion in your son. I mean that and wish there was more of that going in the US today.
In your business, you already understand our concerns about “shark eats small fish” and grows larger on the stored calories (previous customer investment). Your remark that you “got a big kick out of some of the comments” maybe wasn’t the strongest way to reassure the loyal Langmuir owners that you have customer loyalty in mind.
Anyway, congratulations on your success and keep moving forward. I love to see independent guys like you do well. It’s the foundation of our country. You are obviously raising him strong and driven to succeed. Good luck.
Welcome aboard, it looks like you are here for the good and this forum has people that will be able to help your son to learn more and more. We came out of CoVid and my Superintendent asked me to bring back the Ag program (shuttered since 1964) to teach our students things they really need to know. I went to Langmuir and this forum for a cost effective machine and great teaching help. Thank you for taking an interest in Langmuir and moving it forward!
Thanks for jumping in. I was/am concerned about PE in this company for all the reasons you already know. I’m encouraged that you are here in the forum and that you say you’re different. I’ll take you at your word and am excited to see you use the products! I know there can be tremendous upside in the right partnership and hope this is one!
Ethan, welcome to the forum! I am excited for you to get going with your MR1 and your new XR. I tell young people all the time to learn as many trade skills as they can. In my professional career I am a structural engineer, however I took a bit of a roundabout way getting there. My first job(still ongoing) was working for my dad on a small farm which I am convinced he used to keep his 5 boys out of trouble). Starting at a young age working alongside my dad(when he was in town) I learned to operate and repair equipment. Most of our land we farmed was a couple miles from our house so If I couldn’t fix it I had to walk home. The most important thing I got out of all that was a great relationship and respect for my dad which I still have. Hope you enjoy your time working beside your dad as much as I do. Having 3 young kids myself (6 months to 3-1/2) I hope some day to build things with my kids as you are with your dad.
Every skill I learned before becoming and engineer has made me a better more practical engineer.
Don’t be a stranger around here and don’t be afraid to ask questions. As you I am sure know there is a great group of guys on here with a wealth of knowledge.
Dan, congrats on the new partnership, and your success story. I love to hear stories like yours and love to see people achieve their goals and dreams. Allow me to share one of my favorite quotes “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.” (J. E. McCulloch 1924) It looks to me you are on your way to sharing the same success my dad had(tho he never has had allot of money) and the same success I hope to achieve with my little family.
I choose Langmuir because they are a small company who are involved with, and interact with their customers.
This forum was another big reason I chose Langmuir. I have said multiple times that the regulars (myself excluded) on this forum are one of Langmuir’s best assets. Truly some top notch individuals on here that go out of their way to help the rest of us succeed.
Good luck and enjoy your time working and making memories with your son.
All the best, Erik
I added some pics “working” with my oldest. We were cleaning the driveway Sunday. After spending a fair amount of time spinning out on his tractor he told me. “Dad, I need a plow for my tractor… and some chains dad”.
The chains thing surprised me the most. He is 3 and he noticed I had chains on my tires. My wife was standing next to me and I was like did you hear that… where did that come from!?
@Hoonigan@72pony I am glad to see there is still a few people out there that take the responsibility to teach their child the way they should.
My dad was busted up in a mining accident when I was eight. I had to learn how to do lots of things at a early age. Those was rough time then but now… I lost my dad when 8 was 19 I would give all I own for one more work day with him…
To everyone teach your children to do things then they will never depend on others. They will thank you later.
Figured I would post here to speak directly to the PE guys in charge. I’ve sold a company to PE and know what my experience was. I accept your group may have a different path than was my fate, all situations and acquisitions are unique.
I think this is important: the MR1 community really needs improvements in the cut control software. Features like:
-being able to post multiple tools with the machine going to front to wait for the tool change and automatically tool setting after.
-basic math functions for adding or subtracting offsets to the current machine position in the wcs
-a probing feature for webs and squares. Often centering the wcs over a part is critical to avoid tolerance stack ups on assemblies
I know you guys are busy and will be for the next year or two as everyone finds their appropriate role within the new bigger organization, but please don’t forget the MR1 and cut control. Imo the MR1 is a game changing machine.
Also make an MR2 $15k with tool changing and more Z travel. No need for larger x and y. A dreamer can dream right?
Thanks for the ideas. I will make sure that the Langmuir team sees the suggestions. I assure you that they have a long list of exciting new products and features for existing products that they are working on. If I was involved in these kinds of decisions, I would just slow them down.
I love our MR1 and agree that it is a game changing machine. More game changers in the works from what I hear.
Great start to a full shop you have going there!!
$15k with tool changing and more Z travel. No need for larger x and y. A dreamer can dream right?