Dewey Lockwood, who in 2022 owns an Ohio-based fabrication business, has metal-cutting in his DNA. His grandfather was a blacksmith. However, before Lockwood took on the family mantle full throttle, that is with his own shop, just like Grandpa, he did dabble with some other cutting industries. He worked for the heating, air-conditioning and ventilation sectors. He was also an application engineer for a tool vendor. Then in 2003 he launched his own fabricating shop. Though the company started with just a press brake and the sole ability to cater to nearby metal shops that needed benders, Lockwood envisioned more. With his entrepreneurial hat lodged firmly in place, Lockwood believed he could grow his company into a contender with lots of value to give to customers. He has stayed the course since then, realizing that efficiency, great tools and empowered staff are the stuff to make it all happen. One thing that Lockwood is most addicted to? High-powered lasers. Overtime his shop has graduated from a 3.2-kW to a 15-kW Bystronic laser cutter. The change in volume and quality the store could do blew the doors off for the Ohio businessman.
Key Takeaways:
- Fabrication business owner, Dewey Lockwood noticed a head-spinning improvement when he made the leap from a 3.2-kW to an 8-kW fiber-cutting laser.
- Dewey noticed that he went from cutting 120 IPM to 260 IPM in 1/4 in. So, he decided to up the ante.
- The results were very successful. With a new 15-kW, the staggering results speak for themselves via cuts of 710 IPM.
“As a business owner, Dewey Lockwood keeps one eye on operations and the other on metal fabricating technology advances. Specifically, he’s locked on the increasing power and performance that today’s high-powered fiber laser cutting machines can deliver.”
