Northwest Aerospace News October | November Issue No. 5 | Page 30

N
ow, in an industry where lead
times are trending toward three to four
weeks on average, AFL is able to de-
liver in one to two weeks through their
intense commitment to supporting
industry demands. In their February
expansion, AFL made a bold move to
invest in a radical process redesign,
floor-to-ceiling build-out, and full
ERP systems throughout. Likened to
the lean Toyota manufacturing plants
of 1990, AFL has maintained a laser
focus on compliance and standards as
they designed their new facility from
the ground floor up.
A 24-year veteran from Universal,
John Ueltschi was hired from Univer-
sal as AFL general manager to help
build the vision, maintain the AS9100
designation, and attain NADCAP
certification as fast as possible, all
the while pursuing the most stringent
standards in the industry. Ueltschi was
responsible for locating the 30,000
square-foot facility in Marysville,
Washington and incorporating lessons
learned from 30 years of experience as
a customer in the aerospace industry.
Where most finishers have one clean-
ing line that branches off and feeds the
rest of the system, AFL set up dedicat-
ed cleaning lines to each core process
— anodize, chem film and passivate.
A strategic merger with Metron in
April 2018 brought a depth of expe-
rience in surface finish graining and
blasting that few other PNW finishing
companies offer. In-house graining
capabilities have also eliminated the
administrative burden associated with
subcontracting and reduced travel time
typically associated with certain finish
requirements. AFL’s nimble, vertically
integrated approach helps their team
service expedited orders without dis-
rupting product flow.
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NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS