Most shops chase the big order. Andrew Henry built Henry Holsters by doing the opposite, and it's hard to argue with the results.
I sat down with Andrew for what turns into a masterclass on running lean without ever saying the word lean. He walks through how a holster company in Spencer, Indiana turned tight inventory, fast changeovers, and short cash cycles into a flywheel that keeps spinning, no long-term contracts required.
You'll hear why batches of 10 beat batches of 400, how a 90 second changeover changes everything about what you're willing to make, and why owning the inventory removes any incentive to stuff a customer's shelf. Andrew also gets honest about the parts of the business he's not great at, admits he loses IQ points the second he opens QuickBooks, and explains why brutal efficiency has covered for a lack of financial sophistication.
The back half is a clear-eyed look at buying a palletized five axis Matsuura with almost no work lined up for it, what that decision cost in time and stress, and why he'd tell most shops his size not to do it without the cashflow to survive the learning curve.
If you own a shop and you're weighing growth against risk, this one's worth your full hour.
What's Covered in this Episode
- (0:00) I introduce the episode and my guest, Andrew Henry of Henry Holsters
- (3:23) Learn more about Henry Holsters and the team Andrew's built
- (6:00) How 3PL fulfillment, just-in-time inventory, and removing middlemen unlocked seven figures
- (8:35) SMW Autoblock: RASRAM and the seven habits of highly effective workholding
- (9:18) Fulfillment for holster brands versus retail-ready machined parts
- (10:41) Breaking into OEM work through freelance mold design
- (12:49) Why owning the inventory kills oversized minimums
- (15:55) How Andrew architected a streamlined system even new hires can master
- (20:17) Hire MFG Leaders: recruiting built by shop owners
- (20:47) Applying lean to contract machining: forecasting demand and sourcing Swiss turned components
- (22:23) Bundling blanket POs across clients and leveling demand, with transparency that saves customers money
- (25:16) A collapsed value stream versus offshore, and managing outside-processing lead times
- (27:25) Your vendors are part of your value stream (visiting vendors changes everything)
- (32:28) Andrew's path from violin maker to shop owner
- (34:05) Shifting from programming to lean, training, and supply chain
- (35:13) Getting honest about the numbers and the money left on the table
- (37:10) Why they've embraced low spindle utilization on purpose
- (38:58) The 2027 plan to fill metal OEM capacity and joining the AeroGrowth network
- (40:02) Winning a space client's non-certified parts by offering a faster, cheaper lane
- (46:27) An adolescent business that could split into two entities, and how you'd decide when to divide
- (48:08) Hennig Workflow Automation: more spindle uptime without more headcount
- (49:00) How Andrew landed on the palletized Matsuura and the real value of five axis
- (58:44) Counting the cost: why consistent cashflow made survival possible, plus advice before you buy
Resources Mentioned
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