EW Winter 06: Allied Specialty Precision, Inc.

	CUSTOMER STORY
	Tight Tolerance Parts and a Tolerant (and understanding) Woman

Pam Rubenstein (video link), CEO & Owner, Allied Specialty Precision, Inc.

The management team — Larry DeLater, Vice President, Pam, Ken Holderman, President, Ken Ragle, Manufacturing Engineer

Here is a special flow stand Allied designed and built to test one of their metering assemblies. I saw things like this throughout the plant. When I asked about these "odd" looking gadgets, they appeared surprised with my interest. Obviously, these special designs are common place and perhaps taken for granted. Allied has a very talented staff.

There are four components in this silver brazed assembly.

The above part is assembled with these special machines — coils and fixtures designed and built by Allied’s staff.

Titanium parts — very accurate and difficult to machine — and very expensive.

by Joe Romanowski
Chairman & CEO
Machinery Systems, Inc.

If you are a regular reader of our customer story articles, you probably have recognized that I always try to identify something unique or special about the company I’m visiting. I know every company has at least one competitive advantage and I want to identify it. However, before an interview I consistently stress that I won’t find that special magic about the company. I did not have that problem about my visit to Allied Specialty Precision, Inc., http://www.aspi-nc.com/ of Mishawaka, IN. In fact, I had my differentiation before I made my appointment.

Allied Specialty is a job shop 100% owned by a woman, Pam Rubenstein. In my whole career, I would have trouble counting the number of woman job shop owners on my two hands. Pam’s business is not “just” a job shop; it’s an aerospace job shop! Their parts have been to the moon and back, flown in combat and on commercial aircraft, and are in the space shuttle. They work to everyday tolerances of .0002” diameter but many times they have to go to .0001.” In Allied’s case, the process is everything, but as we all know, processes for very tight tolerance parts cannot be developed without extremely talented and creative staff members. Their President, Ken Holderman, started with Allied right out of high school and has been with them for over 50 years.

I was very interested in Pam’s insight as a woman functioning in what has traditionally been a man’s world. I asked her what she sees as per primary role as CEO of Allied Specialty. “I make people think. I challenge them to look at things differently than they ever have (video link). If someone says, it can’t be done, I always ask why not and ask more questions and more questions.”

The company was founded in 1954 by three partners. In 1964, Pam’s father became a partner and in 1989, when the surviving partners wanted to retire, he bought them out. Pam is a very bright and well-educated former school teacher and professor who started with the company in 1989 after being recruited by their president, Ken. She purchased the company from her father almost two years ago. Pam loves to network in the industry and will never refuse an opportunity to tour a machine shop or to give a tour of Allied.

I asked Pam if she has had any negative experiences as a woman job shop owner. She said that generally her experiences have been positive except for the 2006 IMTS. She related horror stories that I consider down right embarrassing for our industry. In one case, as Pam was walking down an aisle with a woman she works with, a salesman passing out freebies lunged out and around them to give that freebie to a man on the other side of the aisle. He ignored the women completely. In another instance, Pam was in one of the show booths looking at machinery and a salesman came up and asked, “What do you want?” A woman in our industry must be tough and willing to ignore insults like these. They have to be so much better than men.

Because Allied is so process-driven they understand how important it is to hold the part as few times as possible. Tolerance build up is a huge issue for the tight tolerance aerospace industry. They recently installed a Mazak Variaxis 5-Axis machining center. The part I saw in the machine was formerly eight operations - it now runs in three. Allied has another Variaxis along with a Mazak Integrex with a gantry loader on order. They hope to reduce many processes to one machining set-up.

Allied Specialty is one of the most vertically integrated job shops you will see. The only things they don’t do are part coating and some magnetic testing. Their culture is very entrepreneurial. As Pam said, “We want our customer’s problem parts.” Allied Specialty builds all of their own dies, fixtures and special test equipment.

I asked Pam and her management team, “Why did you select Mazak and Machinery Systems?” They responded, “Increase our throughput, reduce WIP, rework and scrap.” Also, since it’s getting harder to find and hire skilled people, they want to use today’s technology and their current labor pool to produce more parts faster.

One last thing. Pam had to leave the room for a few minutes and I was with Ken Holderman, President, Larry DeLater, Vice President and Ken Ragle, Manufacturing Engineer and unsolicited they told me how much they enjoy working with Pam. They described her as open to new ideas and a visionary. Also, they have high regard for the fact that she respects the “old timers” for their knowledge and experience and that she listens to them.

Pam is a pioneer in our industry. While our industry has been slow to accept and respect women, it is changing. Pam is a wonderful role model for all of us. I am proud to know Pam and to have Allied Specialty Precision, Inc. as our customer.

Small, and machined and assembled to very tight tolerances with stringent multiple 100% test requirements.

And finally, how about simple? A few parts do not require tight tolerance or finish. Allied designed and built a 20 foot long bar feed and low tech collection device.

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