OEM job shop, Midwestern United States
Industry: Industrial
Application: General Machining
Location: Midwestern United States
Problem
An OEM job shop that also produces its own line of products was facing lengthy lead times related to the turned, ground and polished carbon, alloy and aluminum bar, using grades such as 1018, 4140 and 6061. They needed harder bar, which meant that their material required multiple levels of processing. To achieve this, they were sending items out 9 times to a heat treater before becoming a finished product. Lead times were anywhere from 10-18 weeks, depending on the size or processes.
Solution
The customer realized that lead times were getting extreme and began exploring their options. In the process, Castle Metals educated the customer on the in-house processing capabilities. Ultimately, the customer needed 12 items heat treated to 40-45 Rockwell (C) and 5 items heat treated to 50-54 Rockwell (C). If the bar could be treated to these levels, most of the additional processing steps could be removed. Not only would the additional steps be removed, but also the cost of those steps.
Result
Since partnering with Castle Metals on the heat treated carbon, alloy and aluminum bar, the customer was able to eliminate 7 of their 9 outside processing steps. This alone reduced lead times from 10-18 weeks to 3 weeks. The customer is satisfied with the stress-free products that are produced at a higher Rockwell than others cannot replicate. Turned, ground and polished bars were determined unnecessary; the grinding process could be removed as the processed bar was very similar, based on the tight tolerances in processing. Removing this step and utilizing turned and polished bars further reduced costs and created a better final product.
Since beginning the partnership, not only does Castle Metals supply the metal, but we are also involved heavily in their lean management. The customer is always trying to improve processes in order to reduce cost. Castle has become involved in this process by providing cut-to-length bar, taking on the heat treating, reducing reusable containers, so that products can go straight to the machine for manufacturing.