scrap rate,” said Smith. “The emphasis is not on throughput, but on the high-quality, highly precise manufacturing of very complex parts.”
Based on those three inseparable machining require- ments—quality, precision, and complexity—Smiths Machine set out to reach its greater potential in the machine tool market, not as a produc- tion machine shop, but as a company focused on complex part manufac- turing. Having achieved some early success in this new direction, the way forward for the company soon could be summed up more simply: “The more complex the part, the more com- petitive we are,” said Smith. To protect and grow this competitive advantage, the company’s leadership knew that their internal processes and technology needed to match up with the unique requirements of the defense and aerospace industries. Major investments in large, complex fi ve-axis machines would have to be enhanced by equally complex control capabilities. Smith said a decision made previously by the com- pany came into play in the transition to defense and aerospace machining. Traditionally a milling and turning
company, Smiths Machine fi rst teamed up with DMG Mori and Siemens in 2000 to establish their singular machine tool platform. This brought about a synergistic approach to complex milling and turning; an advantage that took on greater signifi cance when the company decided to focus on the defense and aerospace markets later in the decade. “Siemens controls were available on DMG Mori milling and turning ma- chines and that was a natural fi t for us,” said Smith. The DMG Mori/Siemens platform has enabled Smiths Machine to establish and maintain a high level of operational profi ciency. The central advantage here has been the ability to
April 2016 |
AdvancedManufacturing.org 41
invest, train and keep his people moving forward based on a stable technology platform.
“The technology and the people using it are the backbone of our organization,” said Smith. “Even with 25 machines,
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