The Best of Big Sky Country
Made in Three Forks, Montana, USA
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What's new at Headwaters?
The cutting machine progresses from boxes to finished product
New cutting machine goes together in the shop
The install and move are going well. As you know big projects seldom go off without a hitch, this one is no different.
Despite the glitches and hiccups things are progressing very well. The new machine is way better than the old one I was using several years ago.
The machine arrived a week a ago. Scott from Eastman Machine Company traveled to Montana Monday from Buffalo, N.Y., on a short night rest.
He arrived in the afternoon and hit the ground running. He had it mostly put together by Wednesday around noon.
Unfortunately the software to install the drivers in the design computer didn't get sent with the machine so I couldn't start designing and cutting seat covers .
They didn't get here until Saturday. A couple more bumps in the road, but we should be almost set.
Here it is Sunday, and I'm going trying to put my patterns/templates into the new system, but it's not working. Oh, well, not everyone works on Sunday.
Everyone will be back at Eastman Monday and we'll get it going.
There's still plenty to do around here before the girls show up tomorrow to sew.
I'll have several hundreds of hours of what's called digitizing to do, but after that, this machine will cut a seat cover in 5 minutes that used to take 3-4 hours.
No worries here, just lots of anticipation.
Paul
Here's the outside and inside before and how it looks now
New building, cutting machine on the way
We have now purchased our new building, and a $90,000.00 dollar C&C machine to cut the seat covers. The photos shows the building and property in its raw form to where we are now. It is a buyer's market for property around here so we did really well. The building is unfinished, but that suits us fine. That way I can set everything up the way it needs to be.
Montana State University Manufacturing Extension Services are helping me set up the building to run as efficiently as possible, and will use my business as a working model in the future to help other Montana businesses grow and stay in Montana. All of it is for next to no cost at all. As a matter of fact they have been helping me since I started my business almost six years ago. MSU Manufacturing Extension Services’ bone of contention is this: They help Montana business's stay in Montana by helping them manufacture as efficiently as possible. They don't want to see more jobs move overseas,
nor do I. We will be made in the USA, always, period.
The days have become even longer for me and my family, helping me further understand the true meaning of sweat equity. We have done almost everything ourselves on the new property, and as you can see things are progressing well after only a short time of owning it.
The tin goes up inside tomorrow, and the wiring next week. Then in a few short weeks the C&C machine will arrive all the way from Buffalo, New York, and be set in two days. Then, instead of three hours to cut a seat cover, it will take five minutes. Yee-ha, more time to fish!!!!!
- Paul Lindsoe,
Three Forks, MT
The Eastman M-9000 cutting machine -- a thing of beauty
Some big news (big for us, anyway...)
Big news! Big news!
Big news from Headwaters Seat Covers!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are heading into the era of automated cutting for our seat covers.
In order to stay caught up with demand, we've had to expand and purchase an
automated Eastman M-9000 cutting machine, and work on moving into a larger
building.
That may not be much for the giant outfits across the country, but for what was a "Mom (part-time) and Pop" operation just over a year ago, the purchase of a $77,000 machine and moving to a new building is definitely an eye-opening proposition. Our staff has grown to four people, too. For me in little old Three Forks, Montana, that's just about unbelievable. But what I'm most happy about in making these changes is that my customers who will get their seat covers quicker and that will help us to say thank you for all the nice things they've said about our products which have allowed us to receive more orders and sparked the growth.
How much of a change is the new machine going to make? Well, the new Eastman M-9000 is able to cut a seat cover in five minutes that used to take us
two-and-a-half hours to cut by hand. And best of all, I know the machine. I got seven years of design and employee training experience with
an M-9000 before I opened my own shop.
Montana Manufacturing Extension, with Montana State University in Bozeman, is helping us with these changes and advising us on how
to manufacture our seat covers more efficiently. (Thank you, Adam.) The MSU Extension service helps Montana companies to manufacture efficiently and become more successful so jobs stay in
Montana, products for you are manufactured in the United States and American jobs are not moved overseas.
The end result is that we will be able to get our customer their USA-made seat
cover much sooner without compromising quality, but improving quality. We get to keep American workers working to make the finest products available. And, best of all, we get to produce things quick and efficiently enough that maybe I can sneak away and do a little fishing or hunting with my family on weekends.
Life is good in Three Forks! And I think it's going to get even better for everyone concerned.
- Paul Lindsoe,
Three Forks, MT
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Pay by check or credit card
To order seat covers, click on Get a quote
or give us a call at 406-285-3001
or order toll-free at 1-877-485-3001
Headwaters Seat Covers, LLC
702 3rd Avenue W.
P.O. Box 1205
Three Forks, Montana 59752
Phone: 406-285-3001
or order toll-free at
1-877-485-3001
E-mail Headwaters
© Copyright, 2008-10,
Headwaters Seat Covers, LLC
Web work by BigSkyOutdoors.Net
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