Service body manufacturers are some of the biggest customer sources for contract metal stamping manufacturers. Metal stamping promotes high-quality components through consistent and repeatable manufacturing.
Some of the biggest challenges faced by service body manufacturers are part variation and supplier delays. Whether the end goal is getting parts on utility vehicles, contractor trucks, telecommunications fleets, or municipal service vehicles, service body manufacturers – and their customers – can’t afford inconsistent parts and long delays in the supply chain.
Winco Stamping breaks down how metal stamping suppliers alleviate part variation challenges and supplier delays.
How Metal Stamping Eliminates Part Variation
Service body manufacturers turn to metal stamping for specific components on their vehicles because of how consistent and repeatable the process is. Once a design has undergone a DFM review and the initial tooling operations have been performed, a service body manufacturer can count on consistent parts.
It’s not enough, however, to just have one production run where parts are consistent. For as long as the contract is, parts are expected to be the same from the very first production run to the very last. This is only achievable with proper tooling maintenance where proper cleaning, lubrication, and thorough inspections are performed after every production run. When a metal stamping manufacturer performs tooling maintenance on schedule, not only are parts consistent, but the life of a program can be extended.
There are other factors that go into eliminating part variation besides the stamping process itself. Material selection plays a vital role in achieving part consistency as using stainless steel for one part of the program versus pre-galvanized steel for another part, even though the component might look the same, it will perform very differently.
Addressing Supplier Delays Through Turnkey Manufacturing
Service body manufacturers can experience supplier delays by numerous causes including:
- Outsourced tooling vendors
- Complex supply chains
- Material sourcing disruptions
- Poor or inconsistent communication
- Capacity limitations
When service body manufacturers can create a partnership with a turnkey metal stamping manufacturer, many of those roots of supplier delays are eliminated. A turnkey metal stamping manufacturer controls every aspect of the production process and it’s performed in-house. This shrinks the supply chain as vendor handoffs are eliminated and when vendor handoffs are eliminated, lead times are shortened so products get to the service body manufacturers faster.
Communication plays a large role in supplier delays as well. While being a turnkey manufacturer allows for every production aspect to occur with one company, that doesn’t mean communication is going to improve. Setting the tone early in the sales consultation between your team and a potential supplier by setting expectations on what you expect as the customer. This could mean real-time updates during the production run, quality updates, and expected delivery windows.
Winco Stamping Partners with Service Body Manufacturers for High-Quality Metal Stamped Components
Winco Stamping is one of the United States’ premier custom metal stamping manufacturers and since 1948, we’ve served OEMs, supplier programs, and other customer sources with our high-quality metal stamping services.
Located in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, our experienced team of operators, engineers, and executives work together to lead successful metal stamping programs through DFM reviews, consistent manufacturing practices, and superior quality management operations. Winco Stamping has been ISO 9001 certified continuously for over two decades, demonstrating our commitment to our quality management procedures.
Service body manufacturers trust us with their metal stamped components, and you can too. Contact our team today to set up an initial consultation and discover the Winco difference.