At Duval Precision Grinding, our team thrives on providing world-class grinding supported by comprehensive process engineering, logistics planning, and coordination of third-party services to ensure jobs are processed with the utmost care and attention from start to finish. Not only do we get the job done, we also boast a range of value-added services that most grind shops just can’t offer.

So when a long-term Duval customer producing ball bearing assemblies turned to our team for help with a complicated supply chain, we were ready to hit the road and get hands-on with our customer to help discover a solution to their supplier woes.

A Complex Supply Chain Incurs Excessive Shipping Costs, Delays, and Risk of Product Damage

In the original supply chain, housings were rough machined at a facility in the midwest. The customer’s rigorous inspection protocols required the parts to be sent to the OEM, in the southeastern US. After inspection, the components were sent to Duval in Massachusetts. After grinding, Duval would ship the parts back to the OEM for another inspection. The OEM would then ship the parts to another vendor in New England for a final plating operation. Once completed, the parts would return to the OEM for a final inspection.

This supply chain dramatically increased the shipping costs incurred by the customer and lengthened turnaround time. It also increased the risk of improper handling or damage to the housing during transport. With a complicated supply chain like this one, there can be confusion or disagreement about where in the supply chain an issue occurred, making it necessary to inspect parts both on arrival and before departure at each stop.

A Complex Supply Chain Incurs Excessive Shipping Costs, Delays, and Risk of Product Damage

Our process engineers traveled to the OEM’s facility to assess the situation in person and work with the upstream supply line. After meeting with the customer and discussing their process, our experts determined that Duval could best help the customer by absorbing the responsibility for inspection before shipping the units to the next leg of the chain.

The original supply chain meant each part had to travel a total of 4,400 miles at an estimated total shipping time of 70 hours. With Duval performing the quality inspections, the shipping distance was reduced to 1,800 miles, reducing time in transit to an estimated 28 hours.

Duval Precision Grinding is certified to perform rigorous quality inspections, with a fully equipped inspection room and two full time inspectors. Our quality inspectors have over 50 years experience combined and regularly undergo requalification.

Save Time and Money with Effective Supply Chain Management

Is your company struggling to manage complex supply chain processes that might be slowing down your production and costing your business more money? The experts at Duval precision grinding is here to provide personalized guidance and value-added services to keep your business running smoothly. Contact us today to learn more.

 

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