Switch Machining Suppliers the Right Way - Allis Roller: precision machined parts, welding, and services

• Jul 24, 2019
• lean manufacturing, machined parts manufacturing, machining, manufacturing, turning
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What happens when a trusted parts machining supplier goes out of business, or decides to phase out production of the parts they make for you? Whatever the reason, unfortunately it’s sometimes necessary to look for a new precision machining supplier ASAP. The transition from one manufacturer to another must be done carefully, yet rapidly enough to keep your supply chain moving. At Allis Roller, we know how to make the transition work for our customers.

Finding Another Qualified Machining Supplier to “Inherit” the Job

Not all machine shops have the ability to reproduce a part from a previous supplier, especially when it’s a complex part with tight tolerances. When tools are applied to the process, such as APQP and PFMEA, the topic of a contingency plan for other sourcing is usually discussed. This discussion leads to a risk analysis in the eventuality such a problem may occur. It still becomes a disruption to the normal flow of business, and requires time and effort to handle the change. It will typically include the transfer of process flow and quality objectives to the new supplier along with changing internal documentation and sharing of that information to the eventual customer. As a result, the search can sometimes be more time-consuming than finding a manufacturer for a more typical parts order. 

Choosing a company you already know and trust can expedite the supplier research process and prevent serious backlogs. When Supplier Audits are performed on a regular basis the process can be minimized. All of this preparation can make Allis Roller very desirable when our customers need to find an alternative supplier.

Sometimes, Allis Roller will inherit the previous supplier’s tooling, and replicate the product and process in our own facility. Other times, we create the new tooling ourselves. Recently, Allis Roller invested $51,000 in new tooling to replicate a part for a customer without assistance from the previous manufacturer.

The Process of Replicating a Part With a New Machining Supplier

The part replication process can also take time, because your new supplier will have to spend considerable resources to analyze the part and process before beginning production. The more experienced the machine shop, the faster and more effectively they can progress. At Allis Roller, our team is experienced enough in high tolerance, custom parts applications that we can take on almost any complex project.

Aside from experience, it’s also important that your new supplier possess considerable engineering skills and credentials. Reproducing someone else’s part and machining process can take serious engineering chops, and machining experience alone may not be enough to fulfill a particularly complex order.

When time is of the essence, the Allis Roller team can move quickly to forge ahead on jobs inherited from other manufacturers without quoting the part. Our existing customers feel comfortable expediting the process because we’ve earned a reputation for exceptional quality, reliability, and cost effectiveness. For example, one long-standing customer had a supplier suddenly become unable to fulfill their parts orders. Time was of the essence, and they were already familiar with our quality so we immediately picked up the tooling and had them back in production in just six weeks.

At Allis Roller, we welcome the opportunity to become not just a supplier, but a trusted partner. If you’re really In a pinch, or even if you just want to expand your supplier base, talk to an Allis Roller team member today, and we’ll see if we can help get your parts back into production.