Boston Centerless - Precision Matters Magazine Precision Matters Magazine Spring 2018 | Page 9

As we entered the 2010s, we solicited feedback from
our customers and the industry in general, and as a result,
determined that we needed to do more. As the OEMs in
the Medical Device, Aerospace, Automotive, and Defense
industries continued to grow, so too did the need for a
true, international supplier and distributor of the high
precision raw materials and preparation services
required to help companies machining metal and plastic
components become highly efficient.
To meet this growing need, we drafted a strategy that
included not only product and service line extensions, but
also geographic expansion. Since establishing that plan,
we have added new distribution centers in Cleveland,
Ohio, and Minneapolis, Minnesota, and have established
sales representation in East Asia. We invested in a
Material Validation Center, through which we can provide
ultrasonic testing, eddy current testing, XRF alloy
verification, and laser marking. In an effort to assist our
customers with their challenges to maximize their capital
and human resources, we began offering consulting and
training services for CNC Swiss machining through our
SwissAssist program.
included creating a world-class culture, building a new,
larger, and lean factory, upgrading our equipment and
developing an infrastructure to effectively manage all of
these initiatives. In 1995, we set out on our Lean journey and
looked to cement our Core Purpose and Core Values. We
wanted to build on the foundation of excellence that Len
had started. With participation from the entire company,
we agreed that if we executed on these initiatives, we
could be a role model for US manufacturing, and thus, that
became our Core Purpose. After a few iterations, the Core
Values that guide us every day are Be Trustworthy, Take
Initiative, Put the Team First & Demonstrate Excellence.
By following these values in everything that we do, we
showcase our desire to be not only a role model for other
manufacturers, but also a thought leader in our industry.
Where We Are Today
Today, we not only supply round bar materials but also
precision flats and additional raw material shapes and
forms. The various material preparation services we offer
make it easy for our customers to do business with a
single vendor. We also customize inventory management
programs.
Our primary market segment is the Medical Device
industry. We also service the Aerospace, Defense, and
Automotive industries as well as a multitude of others.
Our materials are utilized in critical applications all over
the world, whether it’s keeping an airplane in the air or
providing life-saving surgical implants and instruments.
We have sold our products to all fifty states in the last
year and to over twenty countries around the world. Over
the course of our history, we have transformed ourselves
from a small centerless grinding company to a full-service
precision material and preparation services company.
Ultimately, we are here to stand as an industry leader
and to help our clients grow and expand. We do that by
striving for our core purpose and operating based on our
core values. To find out how we could serve you and your
business, contact us at 800-343-4111 or email us at info@
bostoncenterless.com. You can also visit us online at
bostoncenterless.com.
Our Maturation
At the start of 1999, we moved into a new state-of-the-
art facility in Woburn, Massachusetts, built specifically to
optimize our production processes. Today, we produce five
times more than we did when we moved in. That growth has
come in many forms. Throughout the 2000s, it was primarily
from expansion of the existing products and services:
grinding services from thru-feed to infeed to form grinding
and producing and distributing precision bar materials of all
types of stainless steels, titanium, aluminum, red metals,
and plastics. In 2004, we created the PinGage Division
and began selling thread and gear measuring wires and
cylindrical plug gages. We produce gage pins to 10 millionths
of an inch.
Part of the reason we were able to achieve such growth
was due to our application of Lean manufacturing
principles. In 2006, we were awarded the Shingo Prize
Northeast Silver Medal for Excellence in Manufacturing,
marking the first time a metal-working contract
manufacturer in the United States had received this prize.
Visit bostoncenterless.com
9