July 7, 2017
Every machine shop needs something that differentiates it from the others, and makes manufacturing customers prefer that expertise. In many cases it is low production costs or high product quality. However, it may be a particular machining or forming process or capability.
What we have learned in order to gain an edge in this area is that it’s necessary for the operators, and programmers, to identify and consider the technologies and products that will make that difference. For every machine shop, including ours every new request for a quote can be an opportunity to improve performance.
How do we continuously improve our process and stay on top of our game?
We start with what we call the business to technology evaluation. In this step we work with your product manager, lead engineer and procurement team to discuss your product needs in terms of product competitiveness.
From there we move to validated specifications, we want to make sure we are helping you create the best possible product. In order to do so we will collaborate with you on acceptable tolerances, materials used, durability, and appearance. Upon conclusion we have a specification that aligns with both the business and the technical needs.
The third step and an important step in any process is prototyping. A prototype is created in order to prove feasibility and validation. Refinements are made if needed to ensure efficient manufacturability. The goal is to develop this part consistently meeting, tolerance, time and total cost parameters.
Of course the fourth and final step in any process is production. The initial objective is to first meet tolerance, time and total cost parameters. The continuous improvement goal is to reduce part costs over time by gaining efficiency. This is also where we really try to make a difference by constantly evaluating our process of production to see if there is a way to save time or money and in the end save our customer time and money. Always improving and showing continuous growth is important not only for your company but also for your client.