Grow profits faster with complete parts processing
Situation
A construction machinery company was looking for ways to increase production and reduce costs but was running into challenges allocating space and finding qualified people. To overcome these obstacles, they began looking for partners that could help them produce their parts, enabling them to reallocate their space and people.
The company builds machines that weigh over 100,000 lbs and contain up to 1,000 custom parts. Each machine is made-to-order based on the customer’s unique set up. Oftentimes, the company only had one to two weeks turnaround from receiving designs to completing the part production. Finding a partner that would allow them to keep their short lead times while handling the complexity of one-off parts and helping them grow was critical.
Solution
The company started by outsourcing subs assemblies to West Central Steel that could be kitted and delivered to their welding cells for easy assembly. With each sub assembly, West Central Steel analyzed the parts and tolerances to find the optimal processing methods. In many cases, secondary operations were eliminated, and tolerances tightened due to cutting-edge processing.
As the company saw success with each sub assembly, West Central Steel stood out from other suppliers. The company saw reduced costs, quick lead times and a great partnership that developed. Like most companies that are outsourcing parts for the first time, there were many conversations to confirm specifications, transfer tribal knowledge and update designs to eliminate “make it fit” grinding that might have been done in the past. Regular meetings and conversations between the company and West Central Steel helped build trust and ensure the parts were exactly what they needed.
Results
This partnership now covers more than 10 different machines spanning 5,000 custom parts and over 100,000 total parts produced. The customer has achieved everything they needed—their capacity has grown and production costs have decreased. West Central Steel is a proven partner, delivering finished parts with speed and accuracy to help customers meet their commitments and grow their businesses.