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Customer increases profitability by more than 250%
Since installation almost two years ago, this machine has far exceeded expectations. "We have taken jobs with proven processes that we have run on modern 2 axis single spindle lathes in the past, and with no changes to feeds or speeds recognized tremendous gains!" Jay tells us, "An example is the job we are running on it presently. We had been running this job previously on a 2 year old Okuma two axis lathe and generating a respectable $80.00/hr. We have since moved this job to the twin-spindle and we are consistently realizing greater than $180.00/hr!" When asked what he attributes these gains to, Jay offers a single word "Consistency."
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Jay Taylor of DGP Inc. is no stranger to the impact of manufacturing technology on shop floor productivity. A 21 year-old job shop with diverse capabilities ranging from complex small lot jobs to large production runs, from machining to fabrication, DGP has always been an early adopter of technology on their shop floor. Being one of the first job shops in Oklahoma to take advantage of 4 axis Horizontal Machining Centers, DGP immediately recognized the impact the Okuma 2SP-25HG would have on their turning operations. However, this technology wonder, a CNC twin spindle lathe with an automatic gantry loader and material stocker, still surprised them. "We knew in order to remain competitive that we needed to increase throughput while reducing labor costs," states Jay,"This need, combined with the proven track record that Okuma machines have had in our shop, led to the purchase decision."
He tells us, "If this machine takes 30 seconds chip to chip to produce the first part in the morning, the last part of the day is the same." This has also facilitated more effective job scheduling, a fringe benefit of this consistency. When asked about the volume requirements of this machine in realizing these profits, Jay reminds us "We're a job shop - I may have a 1000 pc job one day, 50 pcs the next. The dictating factor is cycle time. We cannot afford to put a 50 pc job with a 30 second cycle time on this machine. However, a job of the same size with an 8 minute cycle makes sense. Load the stocker, walk away, come back to finished parts." Recognizing the benefits this technology has created, Jay has been working closely with Hartwig in evaluating other areas of DGP that might also realize enhanced productivity through automation and Okuma technology. When asked if DGP will purchase another Okuma twin-spindle, we received another one word response, "Absolutely!"Special deals from Hartwig & Okuma |
