Imagine a world in which even the smallest metal fabrication shops could write their own custom software. Thanks to AI, that world might not be too far away.
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Five years ago, OSH Cut was basically a two-person company. We had a 3-kW flatbed laser, and our office was a card table in a corner of the warehouse. I finished most of our initial quoting, inventory, and order management software there. I’d write code, take a break to fulfill an order, then get back to it. My brother Jacom was still in school and working part time elsewhere, so he’d take breaks and come help me load the laser or ship parts.
Those days were interesting and exciting. I like to say I’m an engineer first, businessman second. Writing software was my jam. But it was also stressful. I was pulling cash out of my home loan to fund the business month to month, we didn’t really know how to market our online sheet metal service, and we were learning how the industry worked as we went.
We’ve changed since then. With 50 employees, a new 53,000-sq.-ft. shop, and a wider variety of services (including laser tube cutting as of this year), I’ve spent less and less time writing software.
