When a customer is selecting a manufacturer to work with, the company with the shortest lead time and with the best on-time delivery record, has a leg-up on earning that business. After being in the manufacturing industry for over 20 years, we have found that producing high-quality products with short lead times is critical to customer satisfaction. From the moment an order is placed, until the product is delivered to the customer, every step matters. HMMI understands that our customers feel pressure to reduce inventory, so HMMI will work with you to reduce product lead-times on your frequently produced parts.
In 2018 and 2019, HMMI went through a lean transformation, which means a cleaner, more efficient and safer facility. Our 100,000-square-foot facility includes an expansive indoor steel storage space which helps us maintain a large selection of raw materials on-hand. This allows us to quickly meet the changing needs of today’s build-to-demand market while a variety of inventory control options minimizes inventory floor time, ensuring your delivery needs are met.
Our large facility can keep your frequently used parts on-hand, dramatically shorten lead times. Before these improvements, our lead-time was eight to 10 weeks, but now we have reduced that to four to six weeks to complete most projects. HMMI encourages frequent communication and accurate forecasting so we can better anticipate your needs.
One method HMMI uses to reduce its lead time to ensure on-time delivery is utilizing “supermarkets” whenever possible. If our customers can provide reliable forecasts, HMMI will put into “supermarkets” those frequently ordered parts which can slow down production when done one or two at a time. For example, it can be costly to nest and bend one or two large parts because the set-up time can be extensive. By nesting six to eight at a time and then bending those parts while the press brake is already set up, saves time and money on each project. Those cut and formed parts can then be placed on shelving units so they’re ready for manufacturing as soon as an order is received. Think of the time that saves. Additionally, it’s customary for us to store completed parts on our shelves in order to take advantage of slower periods or simply because we can anticipate our customers’ needs.
Customer Example: HMMI has one customer who hesitates to place orders beyond what is needed that week, which forced us to scramble on rush orders. Therefore, we made 10 of these frequently ordered parts, put them in the supermarket and waited… for a day. Our customer called sheepishly the next day asking for another rush order of six of these parts. They were astounded and thrilled when we told them we had 10 sitting on the shelf for them. Developing strong partnerships with our customers is our pride and joy. We understand lead time is a major factor to ensure customer satisfaction.
Therefore, at HMMI we will work with you to fulfill project needs to complete projects in a timely manner that include the quality you’re expecting.
