ARTICLE

Pressure and uncertainty. That is the dynamic playing itself out in the production machining industry today.

There are growing performance pressures placed on tier-level suppliers by the OEMs. By the time OEMs determine to which company they are going to release contracted work, the execution "ramp-up" phase to deliver parts is often less than 20 weeks.

Tier-level suppliers are left uncertain about how to execute quality and volume requests, as there is often no time for part process planning and program execution. Project lead times that previously were nine to twelve months are now having to be delivered and run off in five to seven months.

Rapid Response Process [back to top]
The key to success in defeating pressure and uncertainty is knowing how to achieve "rapid response."

Makino has the process know-how and application experience across a wide range of parts and markets to address this new business dynamic. Our ability to provide total turnkey solutions and our ability to deploy specific application engineering resources can help customers meet production start dates.

This approach is a key advantage for us and our customers. And this has helped Makino redefine the turnkey engineering solution. Such a flexible "rapid response" approach eliminates risk when the pressure is on to meet critical OEM production deadlines.

Turnkey Processes [back to top]
Our more than 20 years of experience in developing complete turnkey solutions for manufacturers around the world have taught us that the best solutions combine the resources and knowledge of Makino and the customer.

In a standard turnkey project, Makino would continue to provide the equipment and the comprehensive project management of deadlines, as well as tracking and handling of all issues in process/product-to-customer activities. But in this new "rapid response" paradigm, customers can take advantage of our engineering assistance at their discretion.

Customers also have the option of simply contracting application engineering support by the hour, day or week. This approach allows for companies that are lean on qualified staff to acquire short-term resources in order to provide internal engineering process support.

Delivering the Process [back to top]
The future of parts manufacturing in North America is delivering flexible production solutions to meet the changing demands of the OEMs. Makino can provide tier-level suppliers with scalable solutions that are capable, reliable and stable.

Contract machining operations should focus on key business initiatives such as automation for productivity, lowering costs and competitive advantages to stem overseas competition. OEM contracts can still be won via agile machining platforms and processes that improve part quality while reducing production time and cost.

 "Rapid response" lets you meet your customers’ needs quicker so they can get to market faster—once you know how to eliminate risk and uncertainty.