Contract Manufacturing Profile
Another Key to Winning Work: Risk Mitigation Boyd explains that when she visits prospective customers
now, she’s not really selling Command’s machining capabili- ties. “In this day and age you have to sell risk mitigation. You have to sell your strategy. You have to sell your business emergency plan. It’s no longer about craftsmanship. That’s a given. It’s business strategy now. It’s partnership.” Why the focus on risk mitigation and partnership? Because “unfortunately, engineering is so skinny in the US. And noth- ing is inventoried anymore. It’s not dock to stock, it’s dock to line. Companies can’t stand any variation in meeting require- ments. It’s made all of us grow as business people. Every- one on our floor understands business more than they ever thought they would coming into machining.”
Cutting Risks through Vertical Integration
Over the years, Braswell became increasingly uncomfort- able about sending parts out for specialized services. Besides the lack of scheduling control, the chances of damaging deli-
ERGONOMICS on the job
This peak into the tombstone changer on the Mori reveals a missile nose component ready to be machined. Command builds all their own workholding.
cate tight-tolerance parts in transit was too high. So in addition to Command’s machining, EDM, CMM, and bonded assembly capabilities, he added chemical film deposition, powder coat- ing, wet painting, and dye penetrant inspection. Each time Command added such a capability, they went through the cer- tification process with each of the major defense contractors. They’ve also been certified under the comprehensive AS9100 standard. So parts produced at Command often go right into the finished product without any further inspection by the OEM. As Boyd puts it, “It’s expensive to bring in all these processes in the beginning. But in the long run, once you’re approved by Lockheed, Northrop, Raytheon, you get a lot of that work. You help them mitigate the risk and you become a partner, not just another supplier.”
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Communicating through Adversity Helps Braswell’s background as both a machinist and a degreed engineer has helped from the beginning. He can communicate with the OEM engineers on their own terms and lead them to designs that will save money from the machining standpoint. That builds the kind of relationships that fuel growth. For example, when a large number of Smith engineers were laid off during the previous big downturn, they seeded many other companies who then brought their work to Command. Braswell is also a big believer in the need to be up front about problems. “Meeting the requirement of your customer is the most important thing, and if you have a problem call them up! Don’t wait until it’s late and then call them. We call them beforehand if there’s an issue. In most cases they’ll work with you as long as you work with them. Communication is the best thing you can do. You cannot forget they are part of your team too.” ME
Wall Mount Wokstation
▶Wall track with safety stoppers on both ends
▶ All components are individually adjustable
▶ VESA-compliant monitor holder that can be adjusted from portrait to landscape view and tilted to avoid glare
▶ Foldable and retractable keyboard arm with sliding mouse tray
▶ Adjustable CPU holder
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