Contract Manufacturing
made in improving labor skill sets and process optimization. Woller Precision Machine (Pound, WI), a contract manufac- turer focusing on the aerospace industry, was once one of those companies, looking to take its production capabilities to the next level, but challenged by the requirements to do so. The company had developed an outstanding customer base and exceptional labor force, but realized the limitations of its current machining equipment.
company noticed immediate improvements in productivity, with 30–50% decreases in cycle times compared to its previ- ous VMC processes. “We do a lot of smaller quantities, similar type work where we can leave a certain amount of tools all set up in the toolchanger, and kind of live off that library,” Woller said. “We swap some fixtures out here and there, add programs to it and run parts. It’s not as labor-intensive. We had to find a way to take a good chunk of the labor out of the parts we were making in order to stay competitive, and that piece of equipment was really key to getting that done.”
The timeliness of the a61 investment couldn’t have been
With 39 employees and 19 machining centers, Woller Precision Machine focuses mostly on aluminum aerospace parts, as well as components for consumer appliances.
“We were at a turning point with the company where we needed to grow in order to meet customer demands, but we realized that our current machining methods weren’t efficient or scalable enough to keep us competitive and profitable,” said Aaron Woller, president of Woller Precision Machine. “After doing our homework, we came to the conclusion that vertical machining centers could no longer support us as a primary means for production. We needed the speed, ef- ficiency and flexibility of a horizontal machining center. “After years of investing exclusively in vertical machin- ing centers, we were slightly concerned about the up-front costs required to purchase a horizontal machining center,” added Woller. “Fortunately, a local Makino representative ap- proached us with a special leasing program available through their Capital Services Group, which allowed us to get a horizontal machining center on our shop floor with a low cost of entry. It was the ideal opportunity to see where horizontal machining could take us.”
HMCs Help Spike Productivity Woller Precision added a Makino a61 HMC to its facility a few years ago. Within its first several production runs, the
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ManufacturingEngineeringMedia.com | May 2014
better, added Woller. “Within a year, we were well into the recession. While many other companies would be concerned about taking on a new investment during this time period, the a61 became a tremendous asset that allowed us to substan- tially reduce non-cut times and labor requirements,” he said. “In the end, the addition of that single a61 was like adding three additional verticals in terms of productivity.” To run the a61, Woller Precision positioned an operator and another employee for setup on first shift, and an operator on second shift. Had it purchased three of its previous vertical ma- chining centers instead of that a61 for its new project, it would have needed six people to operate the machines on both shifts. “The a61 kept other companies from undercutting us on price, and it saved several jobs in one of the most dif- ficult periods for US manufacturing,” said Woller. “Today that efficiency continues to be used as a tool that has taken our business to the next level to compete globally.”
Automation Positions Shop for Growth Woller Precision was founded in 2004 by brothers Aaron, 41, and Jason Woller, 38, who both possessed years of experience in manufacturing. In its early days, Woller Preci- sion supplied parts to an aircraft company, and by 2007, the company grew rapidly into a 10,000 ft2
was recently expanded to 23,000 ft2 (2140 m2
(930-m2 ).
) facility that
Today, Woller Precision produces small batch quantities of aluminum interior commercial aircraft components such as seats, divans and tables. It also makes parts for the medical and defense industries as well as components for consumer appliances such as microwaves and coffee makers. The manufacturer has expanded its customer base from the East Coast to the West Coast and the South, and it has grown from two employees with two machines to a workforce of 35 skilled
Photo courtesy Makino
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