Northwest Aerospace News April | May Issue No.14 | Page 42

R
egarding precision, or being precise in their work,
Plough said, “Every move we make with material requires
precision; with today’s material advancements precise
heating and cooling is imperative — we have to get it
right on every cycle to provide greater levels of preci-
sion for customers.” Beaumier added, “We are up to five
metallurgists in the company — this is a huge investment.
We have invested a lot of resources to make sure we get it
right the first time.”
The company works on innovation, both through invest-
ment into new equipment, like the Quintus HIP, and other
heat-treating equipment throughout their locations. Plough
said, “When you get down into day-to-day ops — what in-
novation means to us is we are never satisfied that we are
doing a process as well as we can,” he said, “What can we
do to make that product better for a customer?” Beaumier
added, “We are always training, teaching, upgrading to
improve ourselves as a group; there is tribal knowledge
that we share.” The “secret sauce” of heat treating is a
knowledge shared very well across all facilities, creating a
culture where everyone benefits.
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The last core value is demonstrating adaptability, which they
execute through their relationships with customers. “We need
to know them from the inside of the company to create trust,”
Plough said. Beaumier circled back to transparency and
documentation with customers and reflected, “If they want us
to make changes … or invest in new technology, we will look
into it.”