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Big Sky Woodcrafters Grows with a Little Help from MMEC
Komo Solutions, an American-made CNC router, is the latest piece of equipment helping Big Sky Woodcrafters (BSW)http://bigskywoodcrafters.com/ in Laurel, be more competitive and profitable. Acquiring it was one of a number of positive outcomes after owners Kathy and Gerald Barta began using business assistance available to companies across the state.
The couple purchased the custom woodcrafting business ten years ago, operating it in con¬junction with their brick manu¬facturing business. Because the brick business was seasonal, they began pouring more effort into the plaque, showcase, and custom wood products business, which had been serving a limited, local market under previous owners. They eventually sold the brick business.
“When we bought BSW in 1995, we had no clue how to price items and struggled every year. We tried compar¬ing competitor prices and looking at costs, but we were not sure how to break it down by product to determine where to put our energy. We struggled along for a while before we realized we needed help,” Kathy explained.
A cost of goods study done by MMEC (The Montana Manufacturing Extension Center) http://www.mtmanufacturingcenter.com/ several years ago to provide Kathy with a financial management tool made her aware of how minutes turn to hours, turn to days and how that pushes up costs. Faced with competitive pressures, more would need to be done to optimize productivity.
“We compete with companies using migrant labor, not necessarily located in Mexico. We also struggle with the increased cost of hardwoods; bunkers of it go overseas and push our cost of materials up,” Kathy said of the pressures pushing them toward change. “We knew if we didn’t do it right we would fail, so we reached out and got help.
“So much is out there to assist busi¬nesses; now, I utilize it. I talk with other businesses who still don’t. We tend to think we can do it ourselves here [in Montana]. I was one of those,” Kathy said.
Feature By Deborah Nash
Montana Manufacturing Extension Center
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