PRODUCT

Made-to-order powdered metal bearing/bushing.

APPLICATION

Oilube powdered metal made-to-order bearing /bushing used in flow meter assemblies and related recording equipment by original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

PROBLEM/CHALLENGE

An OEM customer was reviewing their four week rolling production schedule to confirm that sufficient levels of assembly hours and component items were available. The customer discovered that the current level of powdered metal bronze bearings/bushings on-hand would only cover two of the four weeks of production requirements. Their supplier’s lead time for the bearings/bushings was historically four to six weeks. The customer was faced with a production line down situation.

SOLUTION

The customer worked with the local Isostatic distributor to identify possible alternatives. Isostatic proposed a few alternatives along with the related costs and lead times. The final solution was one in which Isostatic was able deliver product in 7-10 days. The product was machined from readily available stock to meet the customer’s specifications.

RESULT

Isostatic’s focused approach, available stock inventory, machining capability, and “can-do” attitude helped the customer avoid a production line shutdown.