• “The supply chain is considered. We do want suppliers near our manufacturing facilities. We all have the problem after we assemble things getting them all over the world. We know how long it takes us from our factory to our customer. We don’t want to make that worse.”
• “We want suppliers that can be in multiple businesses, suppliers that can be in automotive and power tools, for example.”
• “[For the low end], at the end of the day, cost is the key driver. When it comes to high complexity, high function tools, it is completely different. We look for suppliers that are involved, have good quality and good control and who can support the designer. That may mean looking at the first cut of a drawing and coming back with proposals.”
• “One of the things my guys always ask is ‘how old are your toolmakers?’ If [a metalcaster] doesn’t have young toolmakers, how much longer can I rely on [it]?”
• “[One of our best suppliers] is a long-term thinker. They have full assembly, automation and lean design on their lines. They do their own diecasting and injection molding. The thing I find amazing is they have their own tool design group and apprenticeship program. Bosch is working with them because we don’t want them as a competitor.”
• “We know the costs in China are rising. We are already looking at Vietnam and Ghana for low cost opportunities. We’re just going to chase it.”
• “Bosch is not on the stock market and a not-for-profit company. We will take a long-term approach and are willing to lose money in the short-term. When we work with suppliers, we do consider that, especially when developing products for the future.”
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.
“One of the things my guys always ask is ‘how old are your toolmakers?’ If you don’t have young toolmakers, how much longer can Robert Bosch rely on you?”—Edward Vinarcik, Global Quality Manager, Measuring Tools Division
Bosch continues to chase new low-cost countries for suppliers. 34 Metal Casting Design anD PurChasing
Apex is looking for supplier partners that will work to keep both of them out of trouble.
MarCh/aPril 2011
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