When the Machine Stopped: A Cautionary Tale from Industrial America

This is a sad but common story of an old and respected member of the American machine tool builders association that produced a quality machine. but eventually had to close its doors. Another victim of the ills that plagued that sector of American manufacturing. The original owner had a better idea, started a company, grew the company, carved out a market niche, built machines to order as the industry as a whole had done for years to survive the natural boom and bust cycles. The Burgmaster Company was ill equipped for the foreign invasion especially of the Japanese machine tool industry, building standard machines, promising fast installations, losing control of their patented technology even though it was licensed. Burgmaster was typical of the industry and experienced it all. The squeeze between developing new technology and keeping the bread and butter production machines moving., losing control of its operations and planning by joining a conglomerate. As a former employee for what was formerly the largest American machine tool maker and is now a downsized and dismantled holding company, this book gave a good overall historical summary of what was happening then, which you don't realize when you are experiencing global and national trends day by day on a local level. Optimistically one can also see just how far the industry survivors from the 60's, 70's and 80's have progressed.

After years of working with his father, who worked for Burgmaster for 29 years, Max Holland wrote an thouroughly researched book on the American industrial enterprise. It also explains the political value of the American industry and how Americans always attempt to keep out their competitors in new ways. I myself, being Max Holland's nephew, have talked with him many times about the issues of the book.Learning from his father and countless research books, Max Holland writes one of the most down-to-earth books on the American industrial enterprise ever.

This book gives a wonderful view of the changes in American machine tool industry. Tells the story of a retired shoe salesmen who moves to cal. and starts a machine tool business. Machines were his hobby but soon becomes involved in making inovative machine of his own design. The machine where the standard of the Industry. The factory at one time covered two blocks in Cal. The company became the target of buyout by a comgloorate and the new owners were only interested in sales and not quality. At the same time imports were improving all the time. He left the company and it went done fast. Today the older machines still fetch good prices.