short runs. We do a lot where we run a bigger quantity, warehouse the extra castings and then, ship them later on an as-needed basis.” Tooling pricing can be a large bar-
rier to utilizing the diecasting process for low volumes. Ways that Production Castings will work with the customer to alleviate that includes using unit- dies that are interchangeable with standard holders. Te diecaster also keeps costs low through quick and efficient die changes. “With a long run, you might have
the order in the machine all week, but with the shorter runs we might do 20 die changes in the plant a day,” Loeffelman said. “Tat’s when the design and tooling prep come into play. Mainly, it goes into the flexibility of the tool design. We might design a tool for multiple parts, using inserts. With high volume, you wouldn’t typi- cally do that.” “We have increased efficiencies here
because we do everything in house,” Preuss said. “Our die setup times are shorter and our processing is shorter. We also have a strong quality and work order entry system.” Production Castings charges
setup fees for orders of less than 5,000 pieces in zinc and 2,000 pieces in aluminum. Sometimes it can help the customer avoid those setup costs by ordering higher volumes that might be needed later that year. Production Castings will run the full larger production and warehouse the parts not needed immediately until the customer sends in another order for shipment. In some cases, Production Castings will ship directly to the retailer once it receives the order—the customer never sees the part. “We find that if they come to us,
they know the tooling cost but are hoping their quantities grow down the line,” Loeffelman said. “We try to work with the customer, and if they can give us a long run forecast, we can make the decision to run all three months of a product or just what they need for a shipment. Te longer outlook they can give us, the better we can plan.”
“Te thing I stress more than anything is, we’re not going to let the customer down.” —Mark Preuss, Production Castings
The Next Level Preuss said he relies heavily on con-
nections he makes at trade shows and through other industry networking opportunities to find new prospects. It’s where he has met customers like Big Ass Fans (BAF), Lexington, Ken- tucky, that now relies on the diecaster to supply parts for its quickly growing fan product lines. It’s important to have a clear five-minute elevator pitch, Preuss said, and his for Production Castings focuses on the company’s ability to do everything in-house for the customer. “We can start from concept and
give a complete product to the cus- tomer, and those are all value added
services,” he said. “We can do it all here, and if you can explain that to the customer in the right light, they see the value in it.” After meeting Preuss at a trade
show, BAF gave Production Castings a shot at working on a new product launch on a tight deadline. Based on that success, the partnership has grown. “When I look at sourcing, I want
to know the checks and balances for how the part will be produced,” said Sean O’Brien, purchaser, BAF. “We have a great relationship with [Production Castings], and we lean on them pretty hard for new product introduction.” Production Castings started as a
One employee runs five zinc automatic diecasting cells. June 2016 MODERN CASTING | 21
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