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Thirty years in manufacturing have changed not just what I do, but how I decide what is worth doing myself. I have spent nearly three decades as a hands-on engineer and entrepreneur.
I began with a factory doing CNC machining job work and gradually moved into manufacturing our own custom-designed ball valves and investment castings. Along the way, I have invented products, solved countless manufacturing problems, and learnt many lessons that no textbook could have taught me. One of the most interesting changes, however, has been in my attitude towards something seemingly simple: saving money.
When Time Was Cheaper Than Money
When I started my factory, I was young, my earnings were modest, and every expense mattered. Whenever a machine broke down, my first instinct was to repair it myself rather than pay what often seemed like an exorbitant amount to a service technician. Sometimes I succeeded in a few hours. Sometimes the repair took more than a day. Yet I considered the money saved worth the time invested.
I approached tooling in much the same way. Since our machines were not fully utilised, I used the spare capacity to manufacture our own tools rather than buy them. In those days, the calculation seemed straightforward: why pay someone else when I could do the job myself?
There was sound reasoning behind this approach. We had limited resources, available time, and a great deal to learn. Working on our own machines and making our own tools also deepened my understanding of manufacturing.
These experiences helped build the business and shaped the engineer I became.
When the Same Habit Needs to Be Questioned
Today, my first instinct when a machine breaks down is still to investigate and attempt a repair. My long-standing manager often does the same. We generally call the service technicians only after trying to solve the problem ourselves. This instinct reflects years of practical experience, but it also reveals how deeply our early habits become embedded in the way we run a business.
With time, I have begun to look at the decision differently. A repair that saves us a technician's fee may consume several hours of attention that could have been spent on product development, solving a more complex engineering problem, or improving the business.
The technician's bill is visible. The value of the work postponed while I repair the machine is less obvious, but it is no less real. The question, therefore, is not simply whether I can repair the machine. It is whether doing so is the best use of my time.
Making What Matters, Buying What Makes Sense
Our approach to tooling has evolved along similar lines. We still manufacture intricate tools in-house when they demand our specialised design and engineering capabilities. For more routine tools, however, we have found economical external sources that help keep our overheads under control.
We have not lost the ability to make tools and fixtures. We have become more selective about where that ability is worth using. Being capable of doing something does not automatically make doing it ourselves the most economical choice. Sometimes our expertise creates the greatest value when we apply it to a difficult problem; at other times, the sensible decision is to purchase a standard item and move on.
The Changing Value of Time
Perhaps the most important lesson from these experiences is that the relative value of money and time changes as a business evolves. In the early years, an entrepreneur often has more personal time than financial resources. Doing things himself is a practical way to conserve cash, and the knowledge gained in the process is invaluable. As the business develops, however, the owner's attention becomes an increasingly important resource. There are products to develop, customers to serve, people to guide, and decisions that require experience and judgement.
Continuing to do every task personally may still save money in individual instances, but it can also mean neglecting work where one's contribution would be far more valuable.
This does not mean that every repair should be outsourced or every tool purchased. Some problems are worth tackling personally, especially when they involve unusual failures or require a deep understanding of the process. The point is to make that choice consciously rather than automatically.
Experience Is Learning to Choose
I remain a hands-on engineer, and I would not want it otherwise. Understanding machines, tooling, and manufacturing processes is central to how I think and work. What has changed is my understanding of what being hands-on really means. It does not mean doing everything myself. It means understanding a problem well enough to judge whether my direct involvement is necessary.
Looking back, I do not consider my earlier approach wrong. It suited the stage of life and business I was in. But a practice that is valuable at one stage need not remain the best practice forever. Perhaps that is one of the less obvious lessons of experience: the habits that help us succeed in the beginning must sometimes change if we are to grow further.
I started my factory by learning to do things myself. Thirty years later, I am still learning—but now, I am also learning which things I do not need to do myself.
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