DN Guy: Andrew Jack
2023.11.21
When Andrew Jack speaks, people listen. That tends to happen after a half century as an engineer—and when you spearhead a DN Solutions jump from #4 to #1 in market share in the United Kingdom.
The longtime Mills CNC employee and showrunner now serves as a part-time consultant and advisor for DN Solutions. Andrew monitors the pulse of the industry across three continents and shares his one-of-a-kind viewpoint with us.
We caught up with him recently to get that unique perspective, and he delivered.
The beginning
Andrew grew up in Glasgow, in an area famous for heavy industry. He got the bug for a career in machining thanks to his father, who worked as a shop floor engineer. After finishing school at 17 years old (a consistent combination of good grades and bad behavior, according to him), he decided he’d had enough schooling. In 1974, he got to work.
He started at a maker of coal mining machinery. After a 4-year apprenticeship, he began programming punched tape NC machines, including Kearney Trecker and Cincinnati. He tackled tool and fixture design as well, a skill that would keep him in good stead for his entire career.
At age 22, he married his wife, Alison, and recently celebrated 44 years of marriage. The couple moved from Scotland to the south coast of England, where he worked for a producer of vacuum equipment. It was there that he learned just how powerful high-quality Japanese machines could be.
The move to Mills CNC
Andrew began programming Okuma lathes and Hitachi Seiki machining centers while also working with Monarch, another well known U.S. company at the time. In 1982, he joined the UK-based dealer for Okuma and Makino machines as application engineer and held several positions there for 14 years. In 1996, he made the fateful choice to join Mills CNC.
Mills, a longtime DN Solutions dealer partner, was somewhere around #5 in UK market share in the mid-90s. At that time, the company sold OKK and Kuraki machines, and it was Andrew’s job as Product Manager to introduce these products to the UK market.
His #1 sales & marketing lesson
“I learned so many valuable commercial and marketing lessons during that time,” he said. “Namely, how to break in. I figured that the right way to start selling was to go to the people who trust you the most. The most clever marketing strategies in the world fall flat if you don’t have that loyal base.”
“I haven’t received a single day’s training on sales or marketing in my whole career. All that I’ve picked up has been on the job. So if you want sales or marketing clichés, I can’t give you those. I just figured out how to pair high-quality machines with high-quality people.”
The introduction to DN Solutions
Before long, Andrew got familiar with other OEMs represented by Mills, including Nakamura-Tome and DN Solutions (called Daewoo at the time).
“Speaking frankly, my impression of Daewoo back then was not so high, but that changed rapidly over time. I think it’s remarkable how quickly they improved to compete with (and in many cases, overtake) Japanese competitors. The way they dedicated themselves to growing the company, it was remarkable to witness. It’s why I still work for them. I believe in them and want to repay what they’ve given me.”
In 2006, Andrew became Technical Director of Mills CNC, and the company parted ways with all Japanese OEMs and went all-in with DN Solutions. At the time, Mills was #4 in UK market share and selling around 150 machines per year.
Crash and recovery
Then, in 2008, right as Andrew became co-owner of Mills, the global financial crisis took full effect. The company struggled for years to stay afloat.
“In 2010, I clearly remember a massive aerospace sales opportunity for us. I knew, even in that moment, that this pitch was a defining moment in my life. I simply had to get it right. If we won the order, I knew we’d finally be safe.”
Win the order they did, and as Mills grew, the economy recovered, Andrew never forgot the lessons he learned during the down times.
How to survive amidst economic turmoil
- Aim for market share. It will repay you in the future.
- Take risks! Mills CNC maintained high levels of forward stock orders—more than any competitor.
- Know the details of everything going on in the company and react quickly to problems
- Make the selling process easy for the customer
- Strive to deliver the best service and support in the industry
As the years went on, Mills CNC doubled its market share, becoming the #1 machine tool dealer in the United Kingdom. They went from selling 150 machines per year to around 600.
The present and future
These days, Andrew spends his time absorbing as much as he can about the industry he’s been part of for nearly 50 years. Researching and reading articles from the global press is a constant, as are requests from DN Solutions that he investigate a specific industry or machine type.
We were happy to hear his honest opinion on DN Solutions machines when weighed against the best in the world. “In terms of the standard product range—Lynx and PUMA lathes, DNM and BVM mills—DN is the best in the industry. The envy of all competitors. We are also constantly expanding our high-end model lineups and continually striving to improve our technology.”
When we asked him to forecast the future, he responded with two key factors: automation for machine tools and the rise of electric vehicles. Both will affect our industry in the years to come, and shops who have not yet climbed aboard would do well to conduct an investigation of their own.
His favorite things
Andrew has been to Japan and Korea more times than he can accurately count, and visiting Korea is always special for him. “My favorite part about my new role with DN is meeting with Korean people and being in Korea itself. When I’m there, I try to go to dinner with a group of young engineers—without the boss. A good discussion with good food.”
“I just love talking to young people. I still learn so much from them, and I try to give helpful advice when I can. It’s a definite two-way street.”
As for his favorite things about Korea, karaoke tops the list. You tend to wind up in a karaoke bar at the end of the night. Van Morrison’s “Brown-Eyed Girl” is his go-to song.
Andrew has had a long and fruitful career, but he’s nowhere near done. We’re glad we have him on our side for as long as he sees fit.
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