Our customer had been buying custom molded rubber parts from an Australian supplier. The prices were very high and tooling costs were almost preventing the projects from proceeding.
The Process:
OEMCP arranged for molds to be made with our regular rubber and plastic molding supplier. The parts were made as off-tool samples and approved by the customer prior to mass production. the appearance of the imported parts was superior to the Australian sourced parts and nice features like molded art numbers were included at no extra cost.
Controlling the Quality:
Pre-shipping inspection is done by photo evidence only, as molded parts do not vary once the mold has been finalised.
Shipping:
Delivery was quoted as "ex-Ballarat" but the parts were dropped off by Vic Muller for free.
Cost?
The customer made a saving in excess of 50%. The tooling costs were about 20% of Australian tooling costs and minimum order quantities were manageable at only 500 per order, per part.
Vic Muller's recent work history includes 10 years as General Manager of family owned agricultural sprayer manufacturer Goldacres, located in Ballarat and St Arnaud, Victoria. Vic has also worked as a manufacturing consultant in Australia and Overseas and has extensive experience in equipment design, quality control systems, supply chains and supplier relationships, costing, budgeting and every other facet involved in managing a modern manufacturing and distribution company.
Relinquishing the Goldacres GM role to the eldest son, Roger Richards, in February 2013, Vic is now utilising his contacts in China, Taiwan and India to bring real savings to other manufacturers. Vic says "I enjoy the satisfaction of delivering savings to my customers but the real kick is in surprising them with quality that exceeds their expectations"
