[Green0]

I have some Goodway CNC machines and am located 40 minutes from Smart Machine Tool in Pewaukee Wisconsin. I called Smart and confirmed the Smart Machine Tool SL20 YS is the same machine as the Goodway GLS-2000-LYS we have. I was hoping to purchase parts from a local vendor that spoke English and understood American cultural norms like getting a quote to a customer and supplying a good or service in exchange for payment.

That wasn't an option for Smart. It sounded like parts support with Smart was really thin, at one point the Smart representative said, "I wouldn't want to sell you a part and have a Smart customer need that part." I read that as two things:

A. We don't have enough parts for our existing customers
B. We don't have confidence to actually support the machines we are selling (AKA we're in the business of selling machines, not supporting or settup to support them).
C. Possibly we don't have a confidence in dealing with Goodway, and if that's the case what are we doing selling Goodway machines.

I offered to be a special order customer of Goodway parts through SMART with 3 month or so lead times, and the guy on the phone said he didn't want to support Goodway customers, just customers of his re-labeled Goodway machines. This really supported the thought process that he was just scared of having to support the machines at all, or couldn't functionally support the machines.

The guy told me that if we bought a Smart machine we could buy parts to support that machine. I thought that was humorous as that required an investment and a leap of faith on an unknown quality provider of a relabeled Goodway machine. The best way to move toward selling us a machine is to sell us parts and establish a working relationship with us.


I would recommend (my personal opinion) that people be wary of Smart Machine Tool. People shouldn't be put in the position of buying machines and finding themselves unable to buy parts to support them or experiencing extreme difficulty purchasing parts to support them.

[Green0]

I was really hoping for a total win- knowledgeable technicians, quality English speaking parts support, in stock parts. I mean I like my Goodway machines, so I was hoping the red painted cabinet door implied some higher level of commitment to excellence.

[deadlykitten]

hi green, apparently all cnc's look the same; why would someone pay more ?

24/7 service & call center, extended waranty, technical suport, free trainning for operators and other categories of personall, almost identical cnc panel and general operation for lathe - mill - multitasking cnc ( cross learning ), less keystrokes required ( faster operation ), conversational, machine rigidity, special functions, iot 4.0, etc

is good to be looking over such things, before buying

there are people strugling with "wrong" machines, or not using properly a "good" machine

when you buy a cnc, actually you affiliate to a chain; strings are longer then they 1st appear

in your case, i would suggest asking for help at another dealer of that brand, or tring to reach a tech center; you know, so not to fall into the abyss ? kindly

[Green0]

In this case they don't look the same, they are the same machines- built in the same factory. Different paint. The Smart headquarters formerly was I believe the advertised US headquarters of Samsung CNC machines, now SMEC - Samsung had no relationship to the CNC machines.

I've definitely learned that CNC purchases should be pretty carefully made. I even see how brands like Nakamura (where they are properly supported in the field) can have a cost basis- if you run very large run parts, the technology in the control can provide additional up time so that you make more parts in the same amount of time- stuff like optional stop and features so the machine returns to cutting faster on a twin turret, or automated wear offset- something like that that keeps the machine cutting more of the time.

Doosan has a pretty strong value proposition in terms of being a machine that is solidly built, generally high reliability, and has a functional support network- parts and labor behind it. I feel pretty confident that Doosan has the value. Not always the pedigree of the top end machine, but definitely enough commitment to keep the machine on your floor operational over time.

Unfortunately for the small regional machine resellers- many of the brands which they are able to carry are not properly managed to provide high value to the customer on the back end of the sale, so it is better to avoid them.

A good brand understands that the machine itself is essentially 30% of the value reflected by the price. You need strong parts and service support as a backbone to give the machine the other 70% of its value proposition.

[DrewRoy]

Greeno,
Just curious...why didn't you go back to the agent/dealer you bought the Goodway lathes from? Why ask other folks for help instead of your go to guys?

[Uguessedit]

The issue is many here however I don’t blame him though he handled you wrong if those were his comments or your perception of them. What he should say is we don’t support good way machines or guarantee parts are compatible therefore we can’t sell to you. That would’ve been the better answer. I have been asked to sell my parts for other brand products and frankly o couldn’t guarantee fitment although there was a good chance it could fit it wasn’t worth the headache, risk of return, overall liability. Can’t blame them for not wanting to support other brand models. Besides that isn’t what branded products typically do. As far as support one of my local dealers sells the machines and the support is strong right now and Smart is continuing to grow and building a large facility here in the states to support its customer base. They are well aware and understand the after sale affects and why it matters.

I have some Goodway CNC machines and am located 40 minutes from Smart Machine Tool in Pewaukee Wisconsin. I called Smart and confirmed the Smart Machine Tool SL20 YS is the same machine as the Goodway GLS-2000-LYS we have. I was hoping to purchase parts from a local vendor that spoke English and understood American cultural norms like getting a quote to a customer and supplying a good or service in exchange for payment.

That wasn't an option for Smart. It sounded like parts support with Smart was really thin, at one point the Smart representative said, "I wouldn't want to sell you a part and have a Smart customer need that part." I read that as two things:

A. We don't have enough parts for our existing customers
B. We don't have confidence to actually support the machines we are selling (AKA we're in the business of selling machines, not supporting or settup to support them).
C. Possibly we don't have a confidence in dealing with Goodway, and if that's the case what are we doing selling Goodway machines.

I offered to be a special order customer of Goodway parts through SMART with 3 month or so lead times, and the guy on the phone said he didn't want to support Goodway customers, just customers of his re-labeled Goodway machines. This really supported the thought process that he was just scared of having to support the machines at all, or couldn't functionally support the machines.

The guy told me that if we bought a Smart machine we could buy parts to support that machine. I thought that was humorous as that required an investment and a leap of faith on an unknown quality provider of a relabeled Goodway machine. The best way to move toward selling us a machine is to sell us parts and establish a working relationship with us.


I would recommend (my personal opinion) that people be wary of Smart Machine Tool. People shouldn't be put in the position of buying machines and finding themselves unable to buy parts to support them or experiencing extreme difficulty purchasing parts to support them.

[deadlykitten]

Can’t blame them for not wanting to support other brand models.

hy how can a customer know, before purchasing, if his equipment will be supported ?

what should green0 do, so to regain support ?

how do you know, before selling a cnc to a customer, that the cnc producer is offering suport ?

is a (re)seller officialy bounded to present the status of real equipment suport, before selling ?

is it possible, to sell to a low-quality cnc, to a less informed customer, without informing him about the risks, in order to assure a certain future profit ?