don’t want to be counting boxes. And when I pull it off the shelf, I don’t want to have to verify it.”
Company: Apex Precision Technologies, Camby, Ind. Apex Precision Technologies is an ISO 9001:2008
and ISO 14001:2004 certified manufacturer of precision machined parts for the off-highway, fuel dispensing and automotive industries. The company focuses on low- to mid-volume parts with typical volumes of 4-100 parts per day on 150 part numbers. About 90% of the material the company buys is in metal castings, which can be either aluminum or iron. The company has grown employment by 35% in recent
months after 15-16 months of fluctuating profits. According to the company’s CEO, Apex is hesitant to increase capacity with the forecast still unsure.
Spokesperson: Jerry Jackson, President
• “The most generous customer I have wants a ppm of less than 36. So when somebody tries to sell me castings and they talk about 2-4%, which is 40,000 ppm, and I have to sell my customer 36, I get a little concerned.”
• “The thing I need most from a metalcasting facility is a partner. That means keeping each other out of trouble and keeping people apprised of the technology so they don’t have unrealistic expectations.”
• “I like to deal with preferred [metalcasting facilities]. I don’t need to be quoting 15 [metalcasters]. I want two to three preferred partners.”
• “We need a commercial relationship that we are not going to fight about.”
• “I need someone that understands manufacturing enough that they can be an active participant in design for manufacturability.”
• “I like my suppliers to be lean, and sensible lot sizes are important to me. I have a lot of money invested in your products, and sometimes I end up with a warehouse full to get the price break and I end up carrying inventory. Sometimes that’s okay, and some- times I get stuck.”
• “I look for creative cost reduction. For example, there are a lot of places where machine tools can take flash off for next to nothing pricewise, and you use a lot of time grinding it off. Cored vs. drilled holes: sometimes I can drill holes at a lower cost than you can core it. We just need to understand each other’s processes to save the customer some money.”
• “Recognize that the quest for perfection has not stopped. If you know you have an issue, letting us know about it would be of help. Thirty-six ppm or less is what the world wants.”
• “Understand the on-time delivery requirements. For me that means zero days early and zero days late. It is to the hour for Apex with Toyota.”
• “I want standard containers and standard quantities. I MODERN CASTING / February 2011
Company: Henry Pratt Co., Aurora, Ill. Henry Pratt, a division of Mueller Water Products,
designs, develops, manufactures and markets butterfly, rectangular, ball, nuclear, industrial, cone, sleeve and energy dissipating valves, as well as valve actuators and control systems. Its products are used in the potable wa- ter, wastewater, power, industrial and nuclear markets. Mueller water products reports more than $1 billion in annual sales and has approximately 5,000 employees worldwide. Henry Pratt buys castings from ounces to 60,000 lbs. both domestically and globally. It buys iron, steel, aluminum, bronze and other specialty alloy parts.
Spokesperson: Jeff Sugarman, Buyer
• “We use total lean management. That’s not to say we are just-in-time, but we look to you for support for that.”
47
“Recognize that the quest for perfection has not stopped. Thirty-six ppm or less is what [Apex Precision Technologies] wants.” —Jerry Jackson, President
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