For Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), it is becoming increasingly commonplace to hire out specialized services to specialized shops. This includes grinding, bar straightening, lapping, honing and turning services.
In the past, this was often done in-house by the OEM, but there are a lot of good reasons today to contract with a grinding company to provide cylindrical grinding and other grinding services instead of doing it within the business.
The single biggest consideration for any OEM is the cost difference. By contracting with a company offering quality cylindrical grinding and other services, the OEM always know exactly what the cost of production will be. This is very different than what can occur with the four factors that have to be considered with in-house processes.
Equipment Costs
Today’s CNC equipment for cylindrical grinding is state-of-the-art. It is not only advanced in that it has the technology built into the system, but this equipment is completely redesigned from the old, basic types of grinding machines. The costs of this equipment are considerable and constant updates are required to keep up with industry standards and demands.
Training and Expertise
While equipment is important in producing a quality finished product, it is also important to have expertise and experience in staff on the equipment. Grinding services tend to hire the best in the business, ensuring there is always expertise and experience operating the equipment.
Production Capacity Issues
Working with top grinding services builds in scalability with production capacity. These companies can easily increase to meet demands, something that is virtually impossible in short turnaround times with in-house capacity.
Quality Control
With grinding services specializing in cylindrical, CNC, thread, flat and jig grinding, they have the ability to set quality control standards that meet all requirements of a given industry. This also is a benefit to the OEM as it ensures all parts and components are delivered to the exact standards required.
