Rathburn Customer Solution #82
Investing In New Technology Enables Cost Savings For Our Customers
Rathburn got a call from a manufacturer in a tough situation that needed immediate help. Their longtime machine shop provider closed with little warning, leaving the manufacturer without a supplier while their business and parts needs were growing. Rathburn was able to step in and deliver consistent quality, dependable pricing, and flexibility to meet their changing monthly demand because of our commitment to investing in equipment that meets and exceeds industry standards.
An Opportunity For Process Improvement
Rathburn took over the original job requests and delivered high-quality parts for more than a year, during which our team identified opportunities to improve efficiency in the process and machining that would help the customer benefit in a number of ways and offset some of the volatility in material and tooling costs.
Maximizing Efficiency
The project started out on two standard lathes used to process the first runs, when Rathburn made a strategic investment in a twin-spindle gantry lathe, purpose-built for this and similar families of parts. This lathe is set up to load precut bar stock and deposit finished parts in the gantry when complete, where the machinist finishes the final operation in a press.
The twin-spindle gantry lathe allows A-A (or A-B) configuration in this process and enables both spindles to work simultaneously on identical parts, minimizing non-cutting time and maximizing machine time. This operation improved throughput, reduced labor cost per part, and delivered exceptional part-to-part consistency.
Delivering Quality and Long-Term Value
Despite increases in material and tooling prices, we maintained price stability and ultimately reduced pricing on this family of parts. Throughout this period, Rathburn achieved 0 DPPM, zero defects delivered to the customer, and maintained a 0.1% internal scrap rate.
Rathburn has built a strong working relationship with this manufacturer that continues to expand past the first five years. We continue to work together to refine processes and invest in technology that improves product quality and delivers measurable cost reductions for the customer.
Our team continually evaluated opportunities to improve processes and invested in technology to deliver better outcomes for the customer over the long term. That’s what it means to partner with Rathburn.