At that point, instability in the processes being used required the dedication of vast amounts of time and money to inspection. We wanted complete stability and reliability in our operations. To achieve that, we began shopping for software that would identify any defects in our manufacturing processes. |
In the mid- 1990s, we began re-evaluating common practices within the aerospace industry. We became determined to eliminate inefficiency within our machining operations. We developed entirely unique software for monitoring our processes, standardized on high-quality Mori Seiki machinery, and made a concerted effort to maximize productivity through automation. |
Our labor costs have moved from 18 percent of a part to 2.5 percent. We've watched this eliminate the supposed benefits of taking work overseas and it's allowed us to win work back from offshore competition. Our work orders have increased steadily enough that our work force has attained constant growth. Our employees today have higher levels of job security, receive more advanced training, and are better compensated than ever before. If we hadn't shifted, the work they're doing today would most likely be done overseas. |
The Mori machines offer high performance and the repeatability vital to our philosophy. We knew that we wanted to move toward pallet pools once our processes were completely stable. Mori Seiki's focus on supporting automation made it an easy choice. |
We simply reallocated some of our resources and dedicated a cell with a Mori Seiki SH-630 horizontal machining center to the part. Without the flexibility we've attained through automation, we couldn't have handled the additional work. Through the reliability and efficiency of Mori Seiki, we set the part up and have been running it for a year and a half without a single defect, including the first run. |