18 MiMfg Magazine July 2017
Member Spotlight
If there ’ s one thing a 21st century manufacturer understands its pressure . In a world where global communication occurs in the blink of an eye and consumer access to information is greater than ever , employers face considerable pressure to constantly increase both quality and turnaround time . One company familiar with this new challenge of continuous improvement is Güdel Inc ., a Switzerlandbased manufacturer that has called Ann Arbor its American home since 1995 .
“ Time is the # 1 challenge in our industry ,” says Joe Campbell , vice president of sales and marketing for Güdel US . “ The entire manufacturing cycle is being compressed . Product life cycles are shorter and the breadth of products being offered is wider .”
The consequences of this changing style are many : product designers must deliver new designs in less time , facilities must update their equipment at a faster rate , managers must reach full production in less time and equipment suppliers like Güdel face shortened delivery times . The
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In the industrial sector , there is no substitute for one-on-one communication to understand customer needs and today ’ s consumer is more involved in the step-by-step creation of a product . Being a manufacturing leader in this type of environment requires a special kind of skill set . You need to be willing to listen , dig beneath the surface of customer reviews and seek out what
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they really need and what your company can really provide .
struggle to meet demand is real — projects that used to take 22 weeks are now completed in 16 , yet customers want it in 12 .
“ In the industrial sector , there is no substitute for one-on-one communication to understand customer needs and today ’ s consumer is more involved in the step-bystep creation of a product ,” Campbell says . “ Being a manufacturing leader in this type of environment requires a special kind of skill set . You need to be willing to listen , dig beneath the surface of customer reviews and seek out what they really need and what your company can really provide .”
Gudel ’ s LFM-3 is one of Michigan ’ s largest five-axis machine tools and is optimized for milling , drilling , reaming , boring and tapping processes
A global manufacturer of robotic automation products , systems and services , Güdel has the added pressure to stay on the cutting edge in a field whose advances occur at lightning speed .
“ If you ’ re not moving forward , expanding and improving then you are falling behind ,” acknowledges Campbell . “ At Güdel we are always seeking ways to safely reduce process times and the investments we are making in Michigan have helped make those improvements possible .”
Güdel ’ s local investments have allowed the company to slash lead times on most standard products by upwards of 40 percent . In addition to developing relationships with local schools to attack the manufacturing talent challenge head-on , Campbell ’ s team has also invested in new equipment like the $ 2.5 million specialized five-axis mill designed to both increase capacity and reduce costs .
“ Today ’ s manufacturer cannot wall themselves off in their facility and think they can meet consumer demand ,” Campbell says . “ Make it a priority to plan and invest in your future growth , look for ways to expand into new markets , invest in the talent and equipment necessary to speed up your processes and your quality . At the end of the day , your customers will thank you .” 6