Rathburn Customer Solution #26
WE SAW OUR CUSTOMER’S NEED EVEN BEFORE THEY DID.
For a long time, we machined sand cast aluminum pistons for an off-road truck manufacturer. It was profitable business for us that highlighted our skill and quality. Unfortunately they had always struggled with quality issues related to porosity of the cast parts, which led to a very high foundry scrap rate. Over time, their volume decreased while the cost of castings increased.
We asked if we could apply some ingenuity.
Although it was a tightly toleranced part that required precision CNC turning, identification and special packaging, experience told us there had to be a better way. We went back to the basics and took a hard look at their design plans. Because we understood our customer’s business, how to build the part and how it would be used, we were able to innovate with their engineers to develop and implement a plan that would produce the same part out of bar stock aluminum, building in better quality.
We made it easier for them to buy fewer parts.
Being agile, putting ourselves in our customer’s shoes, and applying decades worth of knowledge and skill enabled us to develop a plan that would eliminate foundry defects and also keep material and machining costs low. In the end, our customer was able to order smaller quantities without the foundry defects at the same price. That’s what it means to partner with Rathburn.