To give our customers
the highest levels of value in the industry, Sandvik Coromant has always
pursued distributors with strengths that complement our own, leading to
maximum benefit for our customers. We have this with Machinery Tooling
& Supply (MT&S).
Both Sandvik Coromant
and MT&S recruit, hire and maintain a workforce rich with technical
expertise. As an example of this dedication, several MT&S Sales
Engineers are members of the Sandvik Coromant Top Gun Club. These
members are frequently invited to Sandvik headquarters in New Jersey to
receive the same technical training that Sandvik employees undergo.
This update on the latest products and processes helps keep MT&S abreast of
the latest tooling innovations.
Another reason our
partnership works so well is that MT&S acts as a full partner when Sandvik
Coromant conducts PIP’s (Productivity Improvement Program) at our customers’
facilities. A PIP consists of thorough analysis of customer’s shop floor
applications to determine the best tools and process to increase shop floor
throughput. And finally, MT&S has developed a powerful vending machine
solution for our customers. A vending machine will always increase
customer cash flow by reducing inventory costs and labor content on the shop
floor.
At Global Gear &
Machining (Downer’s Grove, IL), a medium and high volume metal manufacturer,
John Kaleta (Sr. Sales Rep from Sandvik Coromant) and Frank Gibbons (Sales
Engineer from MT&S) maintain an open and ongoing PIP to help maximize the
company’s profitability. The company manufactures over 3 million gear
blanks annually, so even a small reduction in cycle time translates to large
savings. John and Frank visit Global Gear’s facility a minimum of
twice a week to present productivity opportunities.
Recently, Global Gear
tested Sandvik’s new 4225-grade insert on a gear blank machined from a 4140
forging. The change increased tool life by 33%, but even more
importantly, it boosted productivity by 10%! Producing over 450,000 of
the components annually, that 10% translated into the elimination of 209
man-hours, a significant savings.
MT&S has installed two
vending machines at Global Gear to manage their tooling inventory. According
to Enrique Saldana, Tooling Engineer at Global Gear, the system has
eliminated two to three hours of daily inventory management from his
schedule. It has also all but eradicated the possibility of needing a tool
and not having one in stock.
We have achieved
dramatic cost and timesaving at Global Gear. In 2005, the company
realized over $167,000 in documented cost savings resulting directly from
the Sandvik Coromant products and services provided by and supported by
MT&S.
At Magnet Schultz of
America, a machine shop in Westmont, Illinois, a PIP was conducted on a
broad range of parts encompassing most of the company’s production
machining. Sandvik Coromant and MT&S suggested process revisions and
worked to standardize and minimize the variety of inserts being used.
Additionally, MT&S installed vending machines for more efficient management
of tooling and inserts. Our combined efforts resulted in over $147,000 in
documented cost savings for 2005.
Another PIP focusing
heavily on inserts was conducted at Power Plant Services in Melrose Park,
Illinois. Smaller in scope, this program analyzed processes to reduce
a variety of 70 types of inserts to just 9. Between the installation
of a vending machine to increase efficiency and process changes that boosted
productivity, Power Plant Services documented over $20,000 in annual cost
savings.
In today’s market,
value and partnerships are vital to competing and succeeding on a global
level. The two often come hand-in-hand, each one contributing to the
other. To maximize the potential of your business, seek out those
companies actively pursuing partnerships to deliver you with the highest
levels of value and be sure that your customers view you in that same light.
About the Author
Mike Castner, VP of
Sales for Sandvik Coromant, possesses over 19 years of industry experience.
Mr. Castner holds a BS in Business Administration from Bloomsburg University
and, has completed graduate level work at Centenary College, York College,
and University of Phoenix. Prior to becoming VP of Sales,
Mr. Castner held multiple other positions within Sandvik Coromant, including
VP of Marketing. Mr. Castner can be contacted at mike.castner@sandvik.com.
