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INMAGUSA Legacy Equipment Reduces Lead Time By 66 Percent
INMAGUSA started producing frame rails in 1974. Today, they are one of the three largest producers in North America, serving customers in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with sales in excess of $50 million dollars annually. Strategically located, their 120-acre site is close to steel sources and within three hours of the Mexican/United States border. Their location facilitates their daily shipments to no less than six locations in the three North American countries. The INMAGUSA family is over 1,000 people strong, working three shifts per day, six days per week. They pride themselves on their engineering strength, designing and building unique processing equipment specifically for frame rail production. In addition to offering a wide variety of straight as well as contoured frame rail products, they provide the option of e-coat or powder coat protection. Increasing Production In 1995, INMAGUSA produced 80 frame rails per day. Today, they are supplying in excess of 1,000 and are positioning the company to increase the output to 1,400 per day. Customized frame rails from INMAGUSA are provided fully processed, line set, and just-in-time for very specific applications, complete with the Vehicle Identification Number stamped on each rail. Looking to focus on customer demand and to optimize production in their 100-man fabrication facility, INMAGUSA began looking for a machine that would give them versatility and help them increase production without a large capital investment. The machine to be added to their facility had to provide excellent reliably and service had to be readily available from the manufacturer. When Eduardo Loya Galaz, Technical Director and Engineer Hector Falcon, Gerente De Productos Especiales, saw a 3400 RTC at another company, they were impressed. But funds allocated for the equipment did not allow the purchase of a new 3400 RTC. So INGMAGUSA investigated the availability of a used model. Whitney’s Legacy Equipment Department began a search and in spring of 2002 provided INMAGUSA with a used 1997 3400 RTC, meeting their need for efficient fabrication of material ranging from 10 gauge to 1/2" and satisfying their economic value requirements. Before delivery to INMAGUSA, the machine went through a complete refurbishing at the Whitney plant, assuring that it was capable of the most economic production. Whitney also backed the Legacy 3400 RTC with a warranty for parts and service, lowering the risk of ownership of a used machine tool, and provided on-site training so operators could be produce parts quickly and efficiently. Proven Value After six months of production in the INMAGUSA specialty fabrication shop, Falcon notes that lead time decreased from one-month to ten-days. A delivery improvement of 66 percent. Much of the time savings is found in the elimination of secondary operations. Parts that were previously punched, drilled, then cut, are completed in one punch/plasma operation. INMAGUSA has worked to become a certified QS 9000 manufacturer. Their next quality objective is to achieve ISO 14000 Certification, so quality and accuracy is critical to their continuous improvement plan. The TRUECut oxygen plasma cut is proving very impressive over past cutting processes and meets the quality and accuracy needs. Approximately 35 percent of the parts coming off the Whitney, go directly to welding operations where fit up is extremely important. Operators of the 3400 RTC appreciate the machine’s capabilities for easily producing parts from various thicknesses of materials and because of its ability to “nest “ both small and large parts on a plate to achieve good material utilization. Choosing Used There have been many attempts by manufacturers to build the “ultimate machine”. Most popular machines, if not all, have gone through an evolution of changes, some for the better and some for the worse. Knowing which of these attempts have been successful is crucial to not buying what may become a “white elephant”. The key to buying a pre-owned machine is to know what machines have been designed and built to win the productivity race based on performance. When deciding on an “experienced” machine, a buyer should take into account who the seller is, the machine model and its performance, and its maintenance history. Prospective buyers should have confidence that they can easily get support for maintenance, operator training, and repairs, ideally from the original manufacturer. Whitney’s Legacy Equipment Department offers Legacy products that lower the risk of used equipment ownership by backing purchases with service, warranties and training. Strictly buying from a used machine dealer leaves the buyer to his own devices. (Used with permission from Whitney Metal Fabrication News, March 2003) Home | All Applications | Legacy Equipment | Legacy Equipment Applications |
