Page 26 - MetalForming November 2011

The Case for
Outsourcing
Extra stamping capacity in the marketplace can allow some metalformers to avoid the high cost of capital by outsourcing to increase capacity and expand capabilities without the risk of new equipment investments.
Among the work outsourced to Stam- co by Atlantic Tool & Die is this hand- transfer die set, installed on an 800- ton 264-in. Verson press. Stamco fabri- cated a spacer to raise the level of the dies to include a nitrogen cushion, so that the parts being processed would draw properly.
BY DOUG TISCH
“Business owners face many more challenges today than in previous years,” says Bill Sopko, owner of Stamco Industries, Inc., Euclid, OH. “In the stamping indus- try, helping each other where it makes good business sense, possibly through
outsourcing, can lighten the load.” Case in point: Before incurring sig- nificant debt for new machinery, three stampers recently formed alliances with Stamco to use available stamping capacity. This article illustrates how pooling resources makes strategic,
operational and financial sense.
Increased Capacity– Atlantic Tool & Die Company
A mid-sized stamping company headquartered in the Cleveland, OH suburb of Strongsville, Atlantic Tool & Die Company (ATD) provides preci- sion stampings and value-added assemblies, via processes such as stak- ing, tapping and riveting. A customer— part owner of a stamping plant that was closing due to declining orders— recently asked ATD to take over 40 to 50 part numbers. Along with the produc- tion work, ATD also was required to take on a number of additional tools for
Doug Tisch is sales manager, Stamco Indus- tries, Inc.: sales@stamcoind.com/winwin.
a press more than 220 in. long, exceed- ing the company’s capacity.
It was an all-or-nothing proposition, and ATD felt compelled to find a way to accommodate all of the new work. That’s when ATD president Mike Mehwald con- tacted Stamco’s Sopko. Mehwald knew Stamco was capable of single-hit, pro- gressive and transfer stamping, with its 800- to 3000-ton press capabilities. And, in particular, he knew the firm housed two presses with bed lengths of 264 in., perfect for the project at hand.
“We jointly agreed on the quantities Stamco would process, and the pur- chase price ATD would pay to buy the parts from Stamco,” explains Richard Dombroski, ATD general manager. “The outsourcing relationship required construction of a large spacer to enable six sets of dies to function properly on Stamco’s biggest press.”
The spacer not only raises the level
of the dies for proper operation, but also includes a nitrogen cushion to allow parts being processed to draw properly. Most of the stamped parts are for a major automobile manufacturer, including components for fan shrouds and parts for the body structure under the auto’s rear window.
Stamco’s 264-in. machine bed is used in this progressive-stamping process. Engineers from ATD and Stam- co worked together to make proto- types, or pre-production-approval parts (PPAP), before entering full produc- tion. Operationally, Stamco functions as one of ATD’s production centers. All project requirements are supplied by ADT customer-service associates and ATD’s purchasing department provides raw materials. Stamco produces the required components and ships them
24 MetalForming/November 2011
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