Page 105 - MetalForming October 2015

focused on what is best for your cus- tomers, and that requires a commit- ment to listening and understanding their needs. Instead of waiting for cus- tomer feedback, seek it. Create process- es to gather customer perspectives and then respond. Then repeat the process. Continuous improvement for vertical- ly integrated metalformers demands a customer-focused iterative approach to listening, learning and doing.
Techniques to gain customer per- spectives and insights can include for- mal customer-feedback forms deliv- ered with the first shipment of a new part, or an in-person meeting con- ducted by a member of the leadership team, such as a CEO or company pres- ident. These meetings should include requests for direct feedback from cus- tomers, such as, “What’s working or not working? What services would you like to see us offer? What pressures do you experience at your company?”
Insights from customers can prompt expansions beyond just metal stamping or fabricating, for example, and into related fabrication techniques such as stretch-forming and bending. These insights also prompt expansion into complementary services such as pre- cision machining, finishing, welding and complex assembly.
3) Understand your vision and have a plan
There’s a difference between a com- pany on a journey and one that is drift- ing. Journeys require a direction and— when done with others—a plan. Becoming a vertically integrated, sin- gle-source fabricator does not mean responding with a “Yes” to every cus- tomer request and opportunity. Hard decisions must be made, and a vision and plan are crucial to guiding those decisions.
While developing a business plan annually is a standard operating pro- cedure, a strategic, long-term vision with measurable objectives enables managers to see beyond what’s in front of them today. A vision plan should detail the journey your company will take to become the company you envi-
OEMs no longer need to conform to the conventional idea of using multiple sup- pliers. A single-source supplier that can extrude, machine, bend, stretch-form, finish, weld and assemble brings addi- tional value to such a customer’s fabrica- tion needs.
sion in 5 yr. Sharing this vision with customers shows them that in addi- tion to meeting their manufacturing needs today, you can anticipate and plan for their future needs.
This vision includes doing more for customers, and requires fabricators to commit to growth through capital investments and acquisitions. By lis- tening to what your customers want, consider opportunities to grow into new markets. Faced with opportuni- ties every day, fabricators need disci- pline to identify the right opportunities to pursue instead of haphazardly and counter-productively leaping at each one. A central vision and plan serves as the foundation for that discipline.
4) Share expertise with customers
While fabricators are experts in the most effective and efficient ways to manufacture customers’ designs, ver- tically integrated suppliers offer appli- cation expertise in addition to high- quality products. This type of supplier offers expert engineering resources that improve overall manufacturabili- ty. Such a supplier provides education on selecting the right raw material given the product’s end use, or shows customers ways to account for sec- ondary processes such as material fin- ishing and coating. Oftentimes, verti-
cally integrated suppliers help in imple- menting geometrical dimensioning and tolerancing —all of which can help fix potential problems in the design phase. From the perspective of cus- tomers, when fabricators share this kind of design-assist expertise, it ele- vates them from component supplier to business partner.
5) Market to customers how you manage risk
While OEMs aggressively seek sup- plier consolidations, they remain wary of which fabricators will actually deliv- er. Fabricators must minimize the per- ceived risk customers feel when moving their business from one supplier to another with elevated capabilities. To lower risk and make your company more attractive to potential customers:
• Acquire third-party certifications, such as ISO and market-specific certi- fications, to demonstrate quality design and manufacturing processes.
• Use statistical measurement and process control to support data-driven predictions.
• Focus on quick-response manu- facturing, inventory management and cost-reduction initiatives to improve product manufacturing and quick-turn production capabilities.
Then, market why a customer mov- ing its business to yours makes sense. A single-source supplier offers these and other advantages to the customer:
• Higher-level understanding of the importance of form, fit and function with mating components;
• Communicating one expectation or future direction to a single supplier versus multiple channels;
• The elimination of transit damage caused by multiple suppliers handling products; and
• Duplicate production services to mitigate risk for disaster recovery.
Doing and being more for customers requires commitment from fabricators to critically assess how they’re responding to customer needs and react according- ly. These five strategies can help, thus making your company more attractive as a single-source supplier. MF
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