A longtime Duval customer recently sought our help in solving a difficult supply chain issue that was causing unnecessary delays in their product turnaround time. The customer produces critical aerospace components, for which Duval provides precision grinding services. The parts are complex and each have challenging plating requirements. The customer’s plating vendor was not able to consistently meet these exacting requirements.
Poor Plating Services Causes Excess Production Delays and Expenses
The landing gear components received a chrome plating from a separate vendor before reaching Duval for precision grinding and finishing services. Unfortunately, many of the plated parts that were sent from the vendor had issues such as:
- An insufficient amount of plating—The layer of chrome plating would be too thin to be able to grind the components to the final specifications.
- Pitting in the plating—Voids or missing material in the plating would leave exposed areas on the part that made the surface unacceptably uneven.
- Excessive plating—The layer of chrome plating would be unnecessarily thick or uneven in certain areas, making it difficult to grind to specification
When our precision grinders encountered one of these errors, they would inform the customer of the inconsistency. The part would then be sent back to the vendor to be reprocessed. This would add to the turnaround time for each order, resulting in missed deadlines and excessive rework costs. The inconsistencies became so problematic that the client eventually flew a representative across the country to meet with the plating vendor to discuss the problem, adding additional cost and inconvenience. Finally, the client had had enough and asked Duval for help in recommending a new, more reliable plating vendor.
Duval’s Reputation for Quality Is Supported by a Network of Reliable Vendors
Our reputation for excellence and our consistent delivery of quality parts encouraged our client to trust our advice when it came to recommending a plating service provider that would be better able to meet their expectations.
We referred our client to a qualified plating company that could accomplish the job, achieve unwavering quality, and reduce overall turnaround time. Our team knew this company would also take close care in observing the specialized shipping processes defined by the client.
A Better Precision Plating Vendor Gets Operations Back on Track
Duval Precision Grinding has a long history of providing exemplary grinding services. Our team is always willing to do whatever it takes to return a good part. This adherence to high quality means we only collaborate with the best. Over time, we have built a reliable network of vendors and suppliers who meet the Duval Precision Grinding standards of excellence. We are always happy to recommend service providers to our clients who can help them achieve the highest levels of product quality.
The landing gear component client is now collaborating with our precision grinding team and the new plating house to discuss the parts, their specifications and requirements, and what to watch out for as we accelerate the transition of operations. We fully expect that working with the new plating vendor will bring the client’s production processes up to speed, decrease turnaround time, and enable them to meet their deadlines while minimizing shipping expenses.
Do you have a complex part that requires high-quality precision grinding? Contact the experts at Duval Precision Grinding today!