Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Viator.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Michael. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
We had a history of operating rubber molding companies that were efficient, successful, and ultimately ripe for acquisition by larger conglomerates.
After growing two other companies to a certain size and then divesting them, we decided to take a new tack and get into a more advanced technology, which was laser cutting metal. We bought a new 5,000 watt laser in 2013 and have focused on several key industries (oil & gas, petrochemical, telecommunications, and transportation) and were able to successfully forge a successful enterprise.
We are now arguably the largest supplier of key components for certain applications of any laser cutter in the United States. We continue to grow our business by focusing on fabrication, and after achieving ISO certification last year, we intend to grow with an eye on quality and speed of delivery.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Every new enterprise is a HUGE risk, and there are no guarantees and that’s the gamble all entrepreneurs take.
There are challenges to achieving a certain level of revenue, challenges in know-how, and challenges with cash flow. In our case, we were faced with challenges in the timing of cash in-flow keeping up with cash out-flows for necessary capital expenditures, plus the growth in inventory and accounts receivable levels; there were also challenges in finding skilled, motivated labor.
We had to establish credit with a whole new set of vendors, and of course learning all the nuances of an industry we were at once unfamiliar with.
Please tell us about Rapid Turn Laser & Machine.
Our firm precision cuts carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and exotic alloys. We cut these materials in various thicknesses into profiles that are determined by CAD drawings that generally require precision to be within a few thousandths of an inch. We are probably best known for the large amount of ram-type blowout preventer packer plates that we cut.
We primarily specialize in oilfield work and are especially proud of being the FASTEST cutter arguably in the country, but certainly in Houston, Texas. We are proud to have achieved ISO-9000 certification so early in our fledgling history, and we have an EXCELLENT crew of many talents.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I had to start over again I would probably endeavor to delegate more, and work fewer hours than the 60 – 70 I have averaged every week for the past five years!
Contact Info:
- Address: Rapid Turn Laser & Machine, Ltd.
757 Kenrick Drive, Ste 100
Houston, Texas 77060-3639 - Website: www.rapidturnlaser.com
- Phone: 281-447-5000
- Email: sales@rapidturnlaser.com
Image Credit:
Michael Viator
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