Most CNC machine shops are still paper-based and rely heavily on the expertise of their machinists, but because precision is crucial, a missed revision or error, no matter how small, can result in thousands of dollars’ worth of scrapped parts.
Harmoni Solutions, a Bounce Innovation Hub Technology Incubator company, has developed a
touch screen device that plugs into CNC machines to provide all of the information a machinist
needs right at their fingertips. “We bring process improvement to the shop floor, which is even more important with the reshoring of manufacturing and an aging workforce that is retiring, leaving fewer machinists to run more machines,” said Adam Ellis, who cofounded Harmoni Solutions with David Caputo.
Ellis’ experience working at a manufacturing company and as a consultant to manufacturers gave him insight into the need for such a device, which Caputo knew first-hand as a CNC machine shop owner. “Our all-in-one device provides guardrails and functions as a co-pilot for machinists,” said Ellis.
“Through the use of RFID technology, the device identifies the employee by their ID badge, and
automatically tees up the correct job for them, eliminating manual processes.” Real-time monitoring makes managing much easier, while indicator lights show overall equipment effectiveness. This enables machinists and shop managers to immediately see if the machine is running at a good rate and turning out quality parts. If not, issues can be addressed right away.
Harmoni Solutions was founded in 2020 and received pre-seed capital in December 2021, which
enabled the company to build its first 50 batches of devices. “We spent 2022 getting into the field to prove our product, selling in earnest in Q3 and Q4 of 2022,” said Ellis. Along with demonstrated sales, they begin to receive press about the new device, including an article in Modern Machine Shop magazine.
After closing a proper seed round in Q1 2023, the company was able to build 300 more units, as
well as hire six staff members. The product is now being used at six different sites, in various
stages of roll-out. “Customer feedback has been positive, saying that this has fundamentally changed their business and given them an edge,” Ellis said.
As a tenant in Bounce’s Technology Incubator, Harmoni Solutions has found great space for
manufacturing their hardware, with docks and freight elevators that would otherwise be difficult for a startup to obtain. They’ve also taken advantage of the private meeting and conference room space available to Bounce clients. “It’s nice space to have a proper meeting,” Ellis noted. Another Bounce resource that has been helpful is the HR support they have received from SilverLine Consulting, particularly when they brought on six new employees all at once last May. Ellis also noted that James Hilton, Bounce’s Senior Director of Entrepreneurial Services, has been a great sounding board, while Bounce’s CEO Jessica Sublett has been a great advocate.
Ellis said he caught the entrepreneurial bug as a kid, mowing lawns and selling produce door-to-
door from his grandfather’s farm. “In college, I set a milestone that I would either start a consulting business or go work for a big employer,” he said. The employer came first, where Ellis grew professionally, gaining experience in the manufacturing sector. He later established a consultancy in enterprise resource planning systems for manufacturers, before discovering the opportunity to create a solution for CNC
machining. Now leading Harmoni Solutions, Ellis finds it rewarding to see the impact their product is making. “Often machinists don’t like our device right away as they feel like it’s Big Brother monitoring them,” he said. “But once they start using it and see how it is able to catch mistakes before a
job goes bad, they see it as a valuable tool.”
Ellis said that getting customer feedback is invaluable for an entrepreneur. “You always have to be learning and relearning,” he said. He also noted that fundraising has been the biggest challenge.
“I can’t overstate how difficult this is. It’s difficult under the best conditions, but is especially hard right now. You have to make sure you are targeting right and making efficient use of your time,” he said. Likewise, hiring has also been a challenge, particularly finding the right people for the right roles. He advises other entrepreneurs to be as prepared as possible before they take that leap. “You have to be ready for financial ebbs and flows, and no salary draws. Because you may have to reach into your own bank account, it’s important to get your personal finances in order beforehand,” he said.
The next major milestone for Harmoni Solutions will be getting all 300 of the latest devices built into the market. “The more users and the more data we get, the better our product will be,” Ellis said. “We will also continue to look at how we can leverage all of this data to be more useful, as well as explore how AI plays into that.”
To learn more about Harmoni Solutions, please visit: Harmoni Solutions.
To learn more about our Software Accelerator, pleasevisit: https://bouncehub.org/accelerator/.
About the author:
Jill Wodtley, APR, is a freelance writer and owner of Fine Point Public Relations and Advertising. An accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America, she develops and implements marketing communications, public relations and advertising initiatives for a variety of clients, ranging from health care and social service agencies to industrial/manufacturing firms.