Chuck Forkey, founder of Forkey Construction and Fabrication, takes us on a tour of the shop floor in Cortland, New York, sharing insights into the business and his journey in the industry. Forkey Construction and Fabrication operates with an impressive arsenal of equipment, including 30 CNC mills and 14 CNC lathes. Their machinery lineup features C-frame vertical machining centers, double-column bridge mills, a horizontal machining center, and 2- and 3-axis lathes with single or twin spindles.
The shop is also equipped with advanced tools such as multiple plasma cutters, dual-arm robotic welding equipment (Miller and Lincoln), Trumpf tube lasers, saws, painting equipment, and more.
Chuck started the business from the ground up while working a full-time job at IBM in Endicott, NY. His son later joined the company full-time, and together, they have significantly expanded the business.
In this conversation, we discuss Chuck's career path, the challenges he faced, his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, and the intricacies of manufacturing processes. We also hear from some of his employees, who share their experiences and insights into their roles within the company.
0:00 - Intro
1:32 - Career path - getting started
5:00 - Advice for starting - grit
6:51 - Hard times
10:50 - Nate, electrical engineer
14:26 - favorite part about running the business
15:12 - Current work force
16:18 - Joe, weld and fab foreman
19:00 - Vertical machining centers, Double column bridge mill
24:30 - Lathe department
25:50 - Second bridge mill cell
27:11 - Horizontal cell
28:22 - Lasers, plans to expand, material handling
31:50 - Welding fixtures
33:07 - Danny, seasoned machinist
36:20 - VMC w/ pallets
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