Rheocast Help Reshore Manufacturing Work from Overseas to US
Problem: A global security hardware and solutions company had seen rising overseas manufacturing costs in Asia. Estimates showed that within two to three years, the overseas costs would be equal to, if not greater than, domestic costs. In response to the rising costs, as well as concerns about long lead times, minimum-buy quantities and unreliable quality, the customer investigated domestic sourcing to potentially transition its work to American suppliers.
Solution: Upon listening to the customer’s needs, Rheocast helped the company analyze the “total cost of ownership” of its manufacturing operation, identifying true costs of sourcing overseas versus the value of working with Rheocast. With Rheocast, advantages included shorter lead times, flexible ordering and inventory management, more consistent quality, and excellent customer service and response time.
The customer toured Rheocast’s facility, conducted an audit of our ISO-certified quality system and ultimately awarded the job to Rheocast: to produce a thin-walled brass casting 0.080″ thick. During part design, Rheocast utilized SLA prototyping and produced a composite part to have in hand early in the tooling design phase, helping eliminate potential errors. Cosmetic surface finish is critical for this product, and Rheocast maintains a 63 RA maximum with secondary processing.
We have cast thousands of parts per year for this high-volume job, and the customer is transitioning its entire manufacturing line back to the U.S. Rheocast is dedicated to helping companies make a reshoring transition to competitive American operations.