Running a shop often means wearing every hat and holding every answer. For Andy Reinwald at Ripley Machine, that translated to years of nonstop work, nearly no time off, and the weight of every open order living in his head. It was sustainable until it wasn’t.

Things came to a head after a rough year in 2016. Revenue was slipping, customer service was lagging, and the company was running on outdated systems. Andy knew he couldn’t keep leading the shop this way and expect different results.

That realization kicked off a steady climb. Andy pursued ISO certification, leaned into lean thinking, and began to untangle Ripley Machine from manual processes and memory-based management. Still, the tools he had weren’t suited for the kind of shop he wanted to run.

It wasn’t until Andy implemented ProShop that the fundamental transformation took hold.

The team got access to the same information, tooling, and setups became easier to manage, and planning work no longer relied on his constant oversight. Late orders dropped, morale lifted, and quoting, scheduling, and tracking got faster.

Now, Andy runs a growing shop with more efficient systems, higher standards, and the breathing room to take a fully unplugged vacation. His story isn’t about flashy leaps, it’s about what happens when a shop owner truly commits to improving, one decision at a time.

LinkedIn - Andy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyreinwald/

Ripley Machine - https://www.ripley-machine.com/

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