Whether you work in investment casting or superalloys, cement, glass or steel, you rightly expect your parts to be delivered on time, in full and in perfect condition. You also want the best possible price. But if you are forced to return an order because parts of it are damaged or don’t match your specifications, then what appeared to be a good price quickly becomes more costly – wasting time, labour, and at worst, halting production.
That is why we have rigorous systems to monitor our supply chain, so that your operation runs efficiently with no interruptions.
What we check on your behalf
- We monitor the performance of every manufacturer we work with in three areas: delays, logistics and quality. Within each of these categories we can focus on specific issues. For instance, if there is a case of unexpected cracking during firing at a factory, we monitor it to see if the same defect repeats during the next cycle. If it does, we work with our manufacturing partner to find the cause. It might be linked to the parts size or shape; to its material composition or position when fired in the kiln during the manufacturing process. Or perhaps there;s even an issue with the kiln itself. Once we’ve identified the cause, we’ll suggest ways to solve it and quickly. In the words of our Supply Chain Director, Julien Larue, ‘we record everything and we act where we need to’.
- As a general rule we also ask manufacturers to produce Inspection Reports before your parts leave their site. These reports are vital when a manufacturing partner is making a part for the first time or we are working with you to develop and pilot a new product. So if a tube with the requested 40 mm outer diameter is recorded and reported as 37 mm, we will know instantaneously it has exceeded the standard tolerance and we can do something about it, well before it reaches you.
- Where there have been issues with a product, we record them in a Product Specification Document with the revised drawings. When there is a repeat order, any past issues or problematic factors will be automatically flagged as needing special attention, even if the order is made several years from now. Thankfully, non-conformities are very rare. But if they happen, we make sure we learn from them, so they don’t happen again.
- We apply the same approach to transit times, at each leg of the journey. We record the date of departure and vessel name for every shipment, along with its arrival time to our warehouses. Then we check the duration against the original quote, along with the condition of the incoming consignments. We know that any delays, and furthermore damaged products, add to your costs and reduce your productivity. So we do everything we can to avoid them.
Choice you can rely on
You tell us that one of the things you value most about our service is choice. Because we’re not tied to a single manufacturer or manufacturing technology, we are always able suggest a range of technical ceramic and refractory solutions – especially in cases where a problem persists and you had almost given up finding a solution.
This choice and innovation have only come over time, as we have built up our network of trusted manufacturing partners and technical specialists. We trust them because we work with them closely, constantly developing our processes and products, checking as we go. Our relationships extend beyond simplistic purchase and supply, they extend into friendships and a working understanding such is the length of time of working with our partners following a stringent approval process.
So if you are looking for better ways to improve your productivity and efficiency,
talk to us
. Once we understand the challenges you face, we will call on our global network to help. As you have just read, we’ll make sure we deliver your solution – in full, on time and in perfect condition.
We look forward to it.
Contact us today. We look forward to talking it through with you.
