Volume: 2500 pieces a month, increased to 5000 pieces a month
Material: 3” Hex 12L14, Heat Treat
Finish: Phosphate and Oil

The Challenge: Machining costs for the customer were high due to a long cutoff operation and material waste in machining. Heat treatment and plating costs were rising in the US, along with longer lead times for material. New capital purchases were necessary to increase efficiency and reduce cost. With all this, price increases were inevitable.

The Solution:In the spirit of CSP lean manufacturing best practices, we sourced the parts from China, where the part was engineered to be made from a near net shape forging. Material was matched and heat treat processes were developed to ensure compliance. Because of the large difference in diameters on the part and its shape, the forging was a very cost effective way to produce the part. Gages from CSP in Detroit were manufactured and calibrated to ensure in process compliance during production in China. Volume increase of 2500 pieces per month to 5000 pieces per month was absorbed without installing new capital or labor in the US.