ShopSabre’s American-made CNC Machines Launch Companies, Big and Small, Into Automation

This family-run Minnesota manufacturer got its start speeding up a craft business. Now, it provides automation solutions for Ford, Mercedes, 3M, SpaceX and Amazon.

Jim Bombardo and his son Brandon are in the business of manufacturing American machinery for companies that make their products in America.

ShopSabre is a Minnesota-based, family-run company that designs, builds and manufactures computer numerical control (CNC) machines that are standard equipment in most of today’s factories and shops. These machines are one of the most important tools in a manufacturer’s arsenal.

CNC machines operate on a computer software program that dictates precise movement, speed, cutting and drilling paths necessary to create thousands of products. It eliminates the need for manual operation, allowing for highly accurate, repeatable and complex production.

ShopSabre began manufacturing its American-made CNC machines in 2001, when Jim Bambardo took his computer and steel fabrication knowledge and applied it to efficient manufacturing.

“We were coming out of Y2K, and my wife wanted to start up her craft business, and I told her it was a great idea at the time because the Y2K business was winding down so rapidly that this would be a great new business for us to look at,” said Jim Bombardo. “When I decided to look at it in earnest, I realized I was either going to be sitting at a bandsaw cutting roosters and chickens for the rest of my life, or I could come up with a way to automate this process. That’s kind of how it all happened.”

Now, 25 years later, ShopSabre has manufactured more than 10,000 CNC machines, most of which are sold to American manufacturers. Well-known companies such as Ford, Mercedes, 3M, SpaceX and Amazon have had many of their tooling work done by a ShopSabre machine they purchased or by a contractor with a ShopSabre machine.

CNC machines first appeared in the manufacturing space during the 1950s, but they were cost prohibitive for most manufacturers.

“It was so expensive it took a lot of years after that to make it cost effective,” said Jim Bombardo. “The biggest machine shops could afford it back in the 50s, but CNC started becoming more popular in the 60s and 70s and has evolved from there.

“Now you are at a point where almost any size shop can afford a CNC machine.”

The primary tasks that a CNC machine can perform are precise cutting and drilling of materials. These processes were once done by hand. The CNC machine drastically speeds up the manufacturing process and is generally free of human error.

A CNC machine is versatile, able to work with a variety of materials including steel, plastic, wood and fabric. This allows American manufacturers to successfully compete with Chinese and other overseas manufacturers.

“I think a big thing that gets overlooked sometimes when you are thinking about American-made versus the import market is that the import market rarely brings things to market from a quality perspective,” said Brandon Bombardo. “They bring things to market from a price perspective. With price always being their focus, that product is always evolving. They are changing models, they are changing a part, they are changing things just to keep costs in check.

“With American-manufactured equipment like the ShopSabre machines, you know you are going to get a longevity, which just isn’t evident in import products. Say you are investing in a toaster. If the toaster fails, you are going to throw it away and buy another toaster. It’s not the end of the world.

“But when your business relies on something like a piece of equipment, and it goes down, that down time can be detrimental to your business because your customers don’t really care about your excuse about why you can’t get your product to them. They are just frustrated you don’t have product coming out the door.”

ShopSabre CNC machines are a dependable American-made product that offer so much more than cheaper Chinese and foreign-made machines.

“A big benefit for people that are buying American is the fact that they have local support and have people who understand the products at a very high level,” said Jim Bombardo. “We can provide them not only great phone support, but we can also be in their facility.

“They have training available to several programs that we provide, and they can have on-site training, so there are a lot of reasons to buy American because we’re here to help you, and we want you to be successful.”

ShopSabre support is just a phone call or in-person visit away, and the Bombardo team takes care of all necessary software and assembly. The machines are delivered ready to run. The setup is basically just unwrapping the machine and plugging it in. CNC manufacturing can begin on day one.

The CNC machines themselves are almost completely made of steel that is sourced in America and purchased through a distributor.

“We order from four different suppliers, and the steel is made in the United States,” said Jim Bombardo. “We don’t use overseas or foreign steel. It’s all United States based. The quality of steel from the American producer is significantly higher, and we are aware of that. That’s why we continue to buy it. Could we buy it cheaper? Sure. But the quality is not what we need so we buy American.”

Added Brandon Bombardo: “The American quality starts with the quality of the foundation. You can’t build a quality product if you are using sub-par components.”

ShopSabre builds CNC routers, CNC plasmas, CNC fiber lasers and CNC rotary tube cutters.

“We have a model for use in each individual industry,” added Brandon. “We don’t believe there is a cookie-cutter fit for every shop. That’s another benefit of working with an American outfit like ShopSabre. We truly understand our products. They are truly design forward, and we can understand what you needs are, so we can understand what your hurdles are, what your goals are and ultimately what your budget needs are so that way we can custom tailor the solution to fit within the parameters of your work.”

ShopSabre has a client who started out with one small machine and today has more than 20 of the CNC machines and a factory full of employees. This is only possible because of the production prowess of the CNC machines.

“People think that equipment replaces people, but the reality is equipment empowers people,” said Brandon Bombardo. “The tools are an accelerator that allow you to do more and more work more efficiently. So, you are not replacing people, you are allowing your people to do more with their time without burning people out.”

Jim Bombardo points out that the CNC machines do not necessarily eliminate jobs.

“So many of our clients have found that while that they may initially find that there is some concern in that area, ultimately they find our that their business expands so quickly that they have to hire more people than they ever had.

“So, it is not really replacing employees. It allows the customer to be more efficient and grow their company at a more cost-effective rate.”

ShopSabre manufactures in a 100,000 square-foot factory in Lakeville, Minn. Its 105 employees make CNC machines for such high-tech industries as aerospace, medical and automotive.

ShopSabre offers CNC machines in a variety of price ranges. For as little as $13,000, a small company can enter the world of automation with lean production. Larger corporations are also served by ShopSabre’s high-end, large-volume machinery that can cost as much as $150,000.

Some companies previously profiled in this space that have increased production with CNC machines are Rock-ola jukeboxes, OliWorks razors and the Musgrave Pencil Company.

What all these manufacturers have in common is keeping it Made in the USA.

The Bombardo family does not consider offshore manufacturing or sourcing as they are proud to keep it Made in America.

“We are obviously providing jobs for Americans, and it’s a big thing that I think our customers key off of is that we are supporting the United States,” said Jim Bombardo.

“American manufacturing not only requires a commitment to manufacturing equipment like ourselves in America, but then the companies that are building the products in America committing to buying products made in America as much as they can before their processes,” added Brandon Bombardo. “A lot of times you see these businesses that are building something in-house, and they are doing cabinetry, signs, fabricators, but they often look past the tool they are holding to make the part they are trying to sell.

“So, it is important that when we have the choice to buy American made, especially when you can do it at a competitive price, we consider doing so whenever we can.”

The Alliance for American Manufacturing does not receive a commission from purchases made through the above links, nor was the organization or author paid for favorable coverage.

Labeling Note: This story is intended to highlight companies that support American jobs and that make great products in the United States. We rely on the companies listed to provide accurate information regarding their domestic operations and their products. Each company featured is individually responsible for labeling and advertising their products according to applicable standards, such as the Federal Trade Commission’s “Made in USA” standard or California’s “Made in USA” labeling law. We do not review individual products for compliance or claim that because a company is listed in the guide that their products comply with specific labeling or advertising standards. Our focus is on supporting companies that create American jobs.

For more on the Federal Trade Commission’s standards for “Made in USA” claims and California’s “Made in USA” labeling law, please also read this guest post by Dustin Painter and Kristi Wolff of Kelly Drye & Warren, LLP.