Lead Inspector at R&D Machine Touches Everything Before It Leaves Oldsmar, FL Facility
Dave Andrews loves hockey, loves skating, and loves the Boston Bruins, his hometown team growing up in Warwick, RI. As a hockey coach, he has long preached correct skating techniques, how to score, and how to defend. In hockey, the goalie is the last line of defense. At R&D Machine, Dave is the company’s last line of defense, the last one to touch parts before being sent to a customer or outside vendor.
As R&D Machine’s Lead Inspector, Dave oversees inspection of every part being sent for, or returning from, outside processing as well as shipments to customers. A relative latecomer to the work of quality, Dave cut his teeth as an inspector with Tampa Bay Diecasting in Pinellas Park, FL nearly twenty years ago. He later joined H&S Swansons’ Tool, also in Pinellas Park, where he worked as a lead inspector for fifteen years before retiring in mid 2019. Earlier in his career, Dave was trained as a toolmaker at Stanley Bostitch in North Kingstown, RI.
Fortunately for R&D Machine, Dave forgot to update his LinkedIn profile upon his retirement. Carl and Hilary Whitley, former owners of R&D Machine, found Dave’s profile and realized he would be a terrific fit for their company. Carl set out to aggressively recruit Dave and the rest is history. Dave came out of retirement and joined R&D in September of 2019.
Dave absolutely excels at parts inspection. His tenacity to ensure that every dimension and characteristic is within specification serves both the company and its customers well. He is well liked by his fellow employees and is not afraid to voice his opinion loudly when something needs attention
“Dave is such as asset here,” explained Justin Kovscek, R&D’s Vice President and General Manager. “He works hard, works smart, and tells it like it is. In many ways, he is the voice of the customer at our shop. Customers rest easy knowing that he is protecting their interests and ensuring we only ship good parts.”
“I like what I do at R&D Machine and the environment here,” said Dave. “We have a family atmosphere. Carl and Hilary encouraged that, and so does Compass since they bought the company earlier this year. I have worked at other shops that are much more corporate. I like the feeling at R&D better.”
R&D Machine was founded in 1992 and serves 25-30 customers in the aerospace, defense, and space markets including numerous Fortunate 500 firms. The company operates out of a modern 10,000-square-foot facility in Oldsmar, FL just north of Clearwater, FL and has about 35 employees. It specializes in complicated metal components typically requiring 5-axis machining capabilities to manufacture efficiently and correctly. It has been part of Compass Precision since April 2022.
Compass Precision was founded in 2019 by Gary Holcomb and two private equity partners based upon the simultaneous purchase of three precision CNC machining companies in North Carolina – Advanced Machining & Tooling (Salisbury, NC); Quality Products & Machine (Charlotte, NC); and Tri-Tec Industries (Charlotte, NC). Compass added Gray Manufacturing Technologies (Denver, NC) to the fold in August 2020, then acquired Douglas Machining Services (Winona, MN) in March 2021. Since then, Compass purchased R&D Machine in April 2022 and Strom Manufacturing (North Plains, OR) in July 2022, bringing its number of operating companies to seven.
For more information about R&D Machine, Compass Precision, and outstanding employees like Dave Andrews, please contact Gary Holcomb, Compass CEO at [email protected].