- Forecast your manufacturing. The more you buy, the more you save. To get a reduced, high volume price, you can either:
- Buy in high volume.
- Use a blanket order, with which you receive parts over time with a fixed price.
- Consign, in which you receive your parts at once with a fixed price but only pay for them as you use them with an agreed upon end date - saving you on parts and shipping. - Contact your freight company. Ask your freight company how you can save money on shipping. If you also purchase your resin from IPAC or your grit from Washington Mill, your freight company may reduce your shipping costs when you combine your shipping.
When purchasing grinding wheel components, you can save money in several ways:
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In Fortune magazine's "U.S. Manufacturing costs are almost as low as China's, and that's a very big deal," reporter Brian Dumaine attributes U.S.'s increase in manufacturing competitiveness to cheaper oil and gas and faster productivity in the U.S. and rising wages in China. "The average cost to manufacture goods in the U.S. is now only 5% higher than in China and is actually 10% to 20% lower than in major European economies. Even more striking: BCG [a Boston consultancy] projects that by 2018, it will be 2% to 3% cheaper to make stuff here than in China." According to BCG’s David Gee, risks of delayed shipping from China, port strikes, and local investment requirements of international companies in China can outweigh the 5% higher cost of manufacturing in the U.S..
Read the full article. It's time to rethink American manufacturing according to The New York Times opinionator Allison Arieff. In her piece "The Future of Manufacturing Is Local," Arieff positions the new American manufacturing model as one that goes back to longevity instead of planned obsolescence. It's about community-building as a way to reach that longevity and sustainability. SFMade is a San Francisco collaborative whose members embrace the idea of local sourcing as a means of community-building. "The group allows that community [San Fransisco business owners] to reconnect, share resources, receive education and assistance on everything from zoning to sourcing to taxes. In the last year, 128 companies have joined in the belief that they’re better together." “For decades we have developed a culture of disposability — from consumer goods to medical instruments and machine tools. To fuel economic growth, marketers replaced longevity with planned obsolescence — and our mastery of technology has given birth to ever-accelerating unplanned obsolescence. I think there is increasing awareness that this is no longer sustainable on the scale we have developed.” While going green isn't part of SFMade's mission, its members naturally embrace sustainability in production processes and supply chain. A similar NYC group joined forces with LEED builders as a resource for local procurement.
But it's not just about ethics. It's about local pride. “I grew up in the ‘70s in Buffalo and saw the mass exodus. I saw people lose the ability to support themselves. I saw my peers run far from manufacturing. Now I see people coming out of elite schools who want to go into manufacturing," explained SFMade executive director Kate Sofis. Read the full blog posting. In its "How It's Made" series, hardware and software startup venture capital firm Bolt reveals tricks from manufacturers on how to optimize hardware design. One trick: using metal to make the weight of Beats By Dre headphones more substantial - making the headphones seem more valuable and durable. Says Bolt, "30% of the weight comes from four tiny metal parts that are there for the sole purpose of adding weight." The author explains: "The two larger parts [the ear covers] are cast zinc. Cast parts are similar to injection molded parts in that there is a tooling cost and a per-part cost. Compared to injection molding, the tool is marginally more expensive, but the per-part costs are higher, and the tools do not last as long. In a time when manufacturers "perceive that China is progressively losing its attractiveness as a low-cost manufacturing location because of rapid wage escalation," Massachusetts positions itself as an attractive option for hardware startups. What puts Massachusetts on the map for manufacturing? Innovation and talent that help cut lead times and meet quality standards, according to a report released by MIT’s Industrial Performance Center.
How is Massachusetts a leader in innovation and talent? 1. World-class research universities mean research that results in competitive, new products. 2. A talent pool from these universities creates products and improves products, services, processes, and organizational structures. 3. The Commonwealth has a thriving startup community for new product development. 4. There are a large number of suppliers like machine shops to manufacture custom parts on a small scale. 5. The Commonwealth has promoted manufacturing careers in community colleges and organizations and created training programs for skill development. Source: Strengthening the Innovation Ecosystem for Advanced Manufacturing, released May 2015 Collaboration among manufacturers, start-ups, and research institutions can foster innovation in Massachusetts according to a report released by MIT’s Industrial Performance Center. What makes Massachusetts so attractive to startups looking to manufacture? According to the report: "Declining energy costs, rising labor costs in traditionally low-wage countries, and concerns about the protection of intellectual property are making the U.S. a more competitive location for certain types of manufacturing, including particularly those types of manufacturing in which Massachusetts excels. At the same time, the development of new “game-changing” advanced manufacturing technologies, such as additive manufacturing, cyber-physical systems, and integrated circuit photonics, is providing additional opportunities for U.S. firms to innovate and increase efficiency." Thinking about manufacturing with metal instead of plastic? Here are 5 great reasons why metal might be a better choice for you:
Learning how metal manufacturing works? Understand these 11 simple terms:
Assembly Component or end item comprising of a number of parts or subassemblies put together to perform a specific function and capable of disassembly without destruction. Blanking Mechanical process of cutting, punching, or shearing of a piece of metal into a desired shape. Brazing Method of joining pieces of metal by heating them with a flame and using a non-ferrous (commonly brass) filler having a melting point below that of the metals being joined. It is similar to soldering but requires much higher temperature, up to 900°C (1650°F). Extruding Method in which a softened blank of a metal material is forced through a shaped metal piece or die to produce a continuous ribbon of the formed product. Finishing Treating a surface with machining or polishing. Finish includes brightness, color (hue), and texture (smoothness). Heat treating Heating metal to a certain temperature and then cooling in a particular manner to alter its internal structure for obtaining desired degree of physical and mechanical properties such as brittleness, hardness, and softness. Plating Process in which metal is deposited on a metallic surface. Rust proofing Coating with a substance that prevents rusting. Stamping Forming metal coils or strips into shapes (blanks, embosses, and bends, for example) using a press (a single operation or a series of stages). Swaging Altering the dimensions of an item using dies into which the item is forced. Welding Joining together (metal pieces or parts) by heating the surfaces to the point of melting using a blowtorch, electric arc, or other means, and uniting them by pressing or hammering, for example. Source: BusinessDictionary.com EASTEC is the New England manufacturing expo keeping manufacturers competitive, held May 12-14, 2015 in West Springfield. The 3-day expo promises a chance "to connect with resources that can solve your company’s most pressing problems, improve productivity, and increase profits." If that's not reason to check it out, here are 4 other smart reasons why we'll be there, and you should too. We'll get to:
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