Page 19 - MetalForming December 2017

This semiautomatic assembly center, developed by the MMP tooling depart- ment, reduced cycle time from 3 min. to 75 sec.
use of side-cam punches in one of the final stations. And faster cycle time— from 3 min. before to 75 sec. now—was accomplished thanks to the efforts of our tooling department, which devel- oped a semiautomatic assembly center that cut the kickstand assembly time in half. This proved to be a key innovation.
“While our array of capabilities enabled us to handle this project, we
A Stamtec 30-ton secondary press, equipped with tooling designed and built by MMP, punches and fabricates the tubing.
also have a great network of contractors contributing to our success,” continues Zimmerman. “For example, while much of the tube bending for this proj- ect is performed here, there is one bend that we knew could be cost-effectively performed by one of our subcontrac- tors. Internal processes for this project include progressive metal stamping, tube bending and fabrication.
Two important keys allowing MMP to capture this project include a tal- ented internal tooling department that produces 95 percent of the tooling used by the company, and production con- trol and purchasing management, which work closely with MMP’s sup- pliers and subcontractors to ensure adherance to quality and on-time deliv- ery expectations.
Zimmerman says that MMP achieved stellar quality, less than a 0.002-percent non-conformance rate, and a 99.8-percent on-time-delivery rate, adding that several factors will continue to strengthen the reshoring trend, with the most important being reliable supply. Others include the abil- ity to respond quickly to changes in the market, product quality, attractive total purchase cost, ability of domestic sources to collaborate on designs and redesign options, and competitive piece-price comparison.
“We are thrilled and honored to have received the reshoring award,” says Zimmerman, adding that he considers the Reshoring Initiative’s Total Cost of Ownership online estimator to be an invaluable resource for his company. “By leveraging the total-cost-of-own- ership approach, we have been able to bring work back home. Right now, eight percent of our workforce is employed because of products that we helped to reshore.”
Moser presented Zimmerman with the award in Milwaukee, WI, in Sep- tember at Sourcing Solutions, a pro- curement program hosted by PMA. “I was delighted that the winning product was a relatively conventional item,” says Moser. “Mitchell’s success demon- strates that large portions of offshored work may be reshored.”
MMP employs this Ultimat UMW-65 two-axis PC-controlled wire-forming and welding machine to produce reshored parts.
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Twin 400-ton Blow servo-press lines stamp out subassembly parts.
“We are proud to be a sponsor of the National Reshoring Award, and to celebrate companies who are con- tributing to the strength of the Ameri- can manufacturing sector,” adds Allison Grealis, vice president of membership and association services at PMA. MF
The 2018 award will be presented at Sourcing Solutions next fall. The dead- line for applications is September 1, 2018. For details and an application, visit www.pma.org/sourcingsolutions.