Good evening, I am considering the possibility of hiring someone. We are a small shop that has a couple years under our belt and after pushing myself 70 hrs the last couple weeks I’m really thinking about hiring someone on. I’m not really sure what it entails paperwork/insurance wise or entirely what I’m looking for. In my head I need or want a rockstar that can be handed a print and program/ run a mill or lathe with minimal guidance/issue. I also understand that kind of person requires a consistent amount of hours vacation benefits etc… and I’m unsure of if I’m ready to provide that kind of financial steadiness. I also feel like I’m capped out and burning myself out to keep up. We’ve bought two newer machines in the last 18 months and while the productivity has gone up considerably so has our volume/ overhead. So what’s everyone’s gameplan/thoughts on hiring. When is it time. Is it a robot situation? I like the prospect of that but it comes with its own limitations too and still all the programming/setup is on me.

Is it time to focus on more high density workholding and optimization? What’s everyone do when they get to capacity?