20 Years and Counting

On April 15, 2017, ABACORP CNC Machined Parts also known as A Better Affect, Inc. will celebrate 20 years in the machining industry.

CFO, Kim Frankel, and COO, Rob Frankel in the middle of their Chatsworth shop

Over the last 20 years of owning your own business, what has become your number one priority? Rob: Sustaining a positive workplace and environment that is beneficial for our employees and customers. Kim: Continuing to create job opportunities.

ABACORP's humble beginnings on Oso Ave in Chatsworth, 1997

In the last 20 years, what’s the greatest challenge you’ve had to overcome? Rob: Letting go of the day to day responsibilities more and more each year. Kim: The greatest financial challenge has been 9/11. It almost destroyed us and California. All of manufacturing shut down, stopped. From the management perspective, finding qualified people to build my team as we continue to improve productivity and performance.

Our first saw

In the last 20 years, what’s your greatest achievement? Rob: Being able to raise and provide for my large family and having my children become responsible leaders and helpful in our community. Kim: Staying in business. Let’s face it; this takes a leap of faith and hard work. We were certified AS9100 Rev. C in 2015.

1997 Haas VF4

What changes have you seen in the industry in the last 20 years? Rob: Over-documented paperwork due to dishonesty in the industry. We have always made doing the right thing a priority, e.g. fraudulent material and processes. Kim: I have seen great opportunities open up for small business and despite the ups and downs of our economy, we still remain consistent in our growth. Our greatest change has been to become more innovative and lean every year, to offer competitive pricing to continue to compete with the international markets.

Drill presses

What keeps you motivated? Rob: My desire to create things, to find a way to build parts more productive, precise, and cost effective. Kim: I don’t know how to stop. I think people keep me motivated. Being able to find those opportunities to keep job stability, creating jobs, knowing that we’re helping other families and still being able to balance my own family even though it’s not perfect. Focusing on family. How can I provide more for my employee’s families? I am self-motivated. I think I’ve always been like that.

The shop floor today; 8 Haas CNC Mills and 4 Haas CNC Lathes with tooling, staging, and welding area

What does the future of ABACORP look like? Rob: ABACORP is just beginning to step into a light of its own. This brings an exciting growth-filled future. We will continue to use cutting edge technology to our advantage in our machining and our facility. Kim: ABACORP’s future looks bright and exciting. As we continue to become more efficient and branch out to other industries/markets, I see unlimited growth potential. I take heart in knowing that everything that we do makes a difference for those families we have created jobs for and the future families.