Live from FABTECH 2021: Eddie Saunders of Flex Machine Tools

This is another episode of “Manufacturing A Stronger Standard” live from FABTECH 2021. Host and President of LestaUSA and DeGeest Corp., Derek DeGeest, talked with Eddie Saunders, Creative Director and host at FlexLive of Flex Machine Tools. Flex Machine Tools designs and manufactures a wide range of machine tools including Waterjets, Vertical Machining Centers, Tapping Arms, and Beam Drill Lines.“Manufacturing is one of the most underrated industries in the world,” Saunders said. “I feel people aren’t talking about it in an exciting manner, so it really allowed me to jump ship after 12 years in one career to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to be our storyteller, be our brand champion.’”Saunders started his career in sales at Flex, but with a die-hard passion for storytelling and marketing, he now uses that passion to connect with others and guide them to do the same.As his company's brand champion, Saunders is excited to see the company move into the future, specifically with automation. According to Saunders, the legacy product, FlexArm Tapping Arm, is difficult to automate. However, the FlexCNC line allows automation so the operator can be hands-off. They are making significant improvements in programming and installing larger machine beds so the user isn’t enclosed in a small space.“This empowers the user to be able to do a lot more without increasing that risk,” Saunders said of the benefits of the FlexCNC line.