From Testing to Purchasing: How Intelligent Tool Corp Switched to HAIMER MILL Cutting Tools

Intelligent Tool Corp is a precision machine shop and manufacturing company located in Concord, NC.  Serving a variety of industries including automotive, aerospace and consumer and commercial products, they offer a wide range of services from model and prototype development to part manufacturing.

Originally founded in 1993, Patrick Godwin purchased the company in 2017 after the founder went into retirement.  Prior to assuming leadership at Intelligent Tool Corp, Patrick spent numerous years in manufacturing technology with industry leaders such as SpaceX and Siemens PLM/Digital Industries Software. After moving back to North Carolina after several years in Los Angeles, he encountered many manufacturers hesitant to embrace new technology in their shops. Patrick had grown accustomed to working in a climate that valued investing in high quality equipment and fostering work environments encouraging growth from within. This drove him to focus on shifting the company culture and practices at Intelligent Tool Corp to better support growth by utilizing technology and developing top-notch supplier partnerships.

Intelligent Tool Corp now prides itself on only seeking out the best equipment to increase productivity and lower costs. Patrick recognized the investment in new DMG MORI milling and turning machines also meant the investment in the latest and greatest tooling technology to achieve optimum performance. “We are always evaluating cutting tools from different companies,” explains Patrick. “We do this quite regularly as we have become a test site for many different tooling manufacturers.” 

While Patrick was aware of the HAIMER product line, he did not bring it in for testing until Regional Sales Manager Joe Cerniglia joined HAIMER in 2020.  Joe connected with Patrick right away to see if he would be willing to run some test cuts with the new tooling so they would see the HAIMER MILL in action live. “I have known Joe for a long time prior to him working for HAIMER,” states Patrick. “He understands how we treat things and goals for the company.” The partnership has also benefited Joe by creating a venue to familiarize himself with the new HAIMER MILL cutting tools he would now be selling.

 

The tool being tested was the HAIMER MILL corner radius solid carbide end mill. The HAIMER MILL product line focuses on the essentials in terms of product characteristics and represents HAIMER’s entry level cutting tool when it comes to efficient machining. HAIMER MILL solid carbide end mills can be used in almost any material and are primarily suitable for roughing and finishing operations.

Concurrently with the HAIMER MILL testing, Intelligent Tool Corp also tested other cutting tool leaders in the industry. However, Patrick noticed the HAIMER MILL cutting tool was providing something the other tool manufacturers were not. “We found success in the HAIMER cutting tools by increasing our cubic inches of material removal per minute,” describes Patrick. “We also found that our costs were lower compared to other offerings or, in other words, the HAIMER MILL was faster and less expensive.” The HAIMER MILL cutting tool line offers the same HAIMER quality at the best price-performance ratio possible.

After seeing such great results from the HAIMER MILL cutting tool, they decided to take the plunge and replace one of the standard tools from a competitors with the HAIMER MILL. “I don’t buy things just because it is Joe selling it,” states Patrick. “I buy it if it is right for us and the HAIMER MILL tool is right for us.” The last time Intelligent Tool Corp switched cutting tool brands was two years ago—this was the first time they came across something that provided incentive to change.

The HAIMER MILL is now the standard tool inserted into the machine tool for a majority of parts for Intelligent Tool Corp. As they continue to use the HAIMER MILL tool, they are able to remove 17% more material per given time with HAIMER tooling compared to the other leading product used in the shop. Their team also found that it was 20% more affordable per unit as well. “It was a big surprise to us to see what HAIMER could do given the geometry of that cutter compared to what we were able to do before,” explains Patrick. “HAIMER really makes quality products and we saw a lot of benefits from the rigidity of the product.” 

When speaking to other machine shops in the area, Patrick often shares his experience with the HAIMER MILL solid carbide end mills. “HAIMER cutting tools are for people who want to advance their tooling technology applications,” describes Patrick. “I think a lot machine shops with high-end machine tools can really utilize the HAIMER technology to push the envelope and run at their maximum productivity level, like we have here at Intelligent Tool Corp.”

Previously Featured on Haimer's blog.