How To Avoid Plating Services That Will cause You to Lose Customers Part I

Transcription

1 How To Avoid Plating Services That Will CAUSE You TO Lose Customers ~ PART 1 OF 2 ~

2 INTRODUCTION The process of selecting a barrel plating service company is critical to the efficient operation of your business. If you choose a barrel plating company that does not have experience working with your industry that is not certified, or has a poor delivery performance record, your business will ultimately pay the price. On the other hand, selecting a barrel plating service that can prove its quality through low non-compliance rates, that has a comprehensive order review process, and has outstanding testing and laboratory facilities in house can translate into your business providing better service to your customers. With this in mind, How To Avoid Plating Services That Will Help You Lose Customers was developed to help you evaluate your current barrel plating service or any organization you may consider using. Nine key questions are presented and examined, questions which you can use to evaluate a barrel plating service provider. This report is broken down into two-parts: PART I (this part) : Discusses barrel electroplating in general, presents the nine questions, and centers in on issues of quality, competence and delivery record PART II (which you will be ed to you in 3 days): Examines questions relative to quality control measures used by a barrel plating company, in-house testing services, commitment to responsive and timely communication, and technical expertise. SELECTING A BARREL PLATING COMPANY: WILL YOU GAIN OR LOSE YOUR CUSTOMERS? Selecting a barrel plating service will ultimately affect the level of satisfaction that your customers have with you: Select the wrong one and it is a guaranteed waste of your time and money and ultimately it could even cost you customers! Select the right supplier and you could be golden in the eyes of your customers! By asking the right questions and spending some time up-front, you can save yourself a lot of frustration in the long run. So, what are the issues? What things do you need to consider? That is exactly what we intended to find out when we interviewed companies who use plating services. Learn from your peers, those who use barrel plating services on a regular basis, so that you can make the best decision possible. You will also learn how Wolverine Plating Corporation stacks up against these questions and you may find that they are the right source for you. Page 1

3 WHY BARREL ELECTROPLATING? Barrel plating is simply a cost effective or economical way to coat a large quantity of products to provide you with the desired outcome. Generally the outcome can be for: ENGINEERING purposes for example to build up thickness on undersized parts, provide enhancement for better paint adhesion or even for insulation or conductivity characteristics DECORATIVE purposes to make a part more aesthetically appealing to the end-user COSMETIC purposes which can improve shelf life or act for identification purposes CORROSION PROTECTION including abrasion or wear resistance, which extends the life of a product in a given environment In addition to the economic advantages of barrel plating over rack plating, barrel plating also provides an enhanced clean and de-scale of parts being processed due to the mechanical energy of the process. Additionally, the tumbling action of a barrel produces a bi-polar effect which evens out high and low areas and resultant plating uniformity, a problem typically encountered in rack plating. There are a variety of materials, including alloys, that you can plate your products with to achieve your desired outcome and we will consider some of them in this report. However, the main purpose of this report is to provide you with the right questions and point out what you need to consider in selecting any plating service provider. Wolverine Plating Corporation specializes in barrel plating services specifically for Zinc (Zn), Zinc-Nickel (ZnNi), and Tin-Zinc (SnZn) alloys. Zinc-Nickel is fast becoming a superior alternative to pure Zinc coatings as the relative cost is incrementally lower compared to the life extension of your products. Also Zinc-Nickel is an excellent choice as compared to other Zinc-alloy processes for similar reasons. Additionally, Tin-Zinc is now recognized for its high corrosion resistance, superior ductility and excellent lubricity, as well as being a direct replacement for cadmium plating. As a result, many industries are now opting to use Tin-Zinc coatings as their best choice. Page 2

4 CONSIDERATIONS AND QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN CHOOSING A BARREL PLATING SERVICE 1. Do they have the capabilities that I need in-house? 2. Do they have sufficient experience in working with the coating type or specification that I want? 3. Are they certified? What type of certifications do they have? 4. Is their non-conformance rate an acceptable risk for the quality that my customers are looking to achieve? 5. Does their delivery performance record meet my on-going needs and do they offer fast delivery options if I need them? 6. Is getting a quote from them convenient and will they give me a quote as quickly as I need it? 7. How thorough is their order review process? 8. Will I have open access to technical experts in case I have questions or problems? 9. What testing services are available, should I need them? Page 3

5 1. ARE THEY CAPABLE? This is one of the first things that you should look at when considering a barrel plating service provider. Evaluate what processes the supplier has in-house and which ones they might subcontract to outside services. If they outsource any key processes, typically these costs will be passed along to you in addition to any increased delivery times that you may not be able to afford. Not only those, but quality control issues become difficult to manage when key processes are completed with outside services. Keep in mind that not all subcontracting scenarios are bad, as long as they are controlled and they don t add to your costs, increase your delivery or affect the quality of the product that you receive. The bottom line is to know who you are working with. Wolverine Plating Corporation controls the entire plating process in-house from receipt of material to shipping to your dock, with options to ship directly to your customer if needed. 2. W. WHAT IS THEIR MATERIAL-SPECIFIC EXPERIENCE? Once you have evaluated the capabilities of the plating supplier and know what they can and cannot provide, make sure they have the necessary experience in working with the coating types and/or the Specifications that you require. In this case we are talking about Zinc and Zinc-Nickel coatings. Each of these types of coatings have their own unique benefits, which in some cases could relate to cost and in other cases relate to the expected life of their corrosion protection properties. There is a trade-off between the two and this is something that you need to assess up front. A good supplier will be able to help you determine which coating is right for you. Remember, You get what you pay for applies here. If you want extended life, you can expect to pay more, however the amount of the extended life could far outweigh that additional up-front cost. Page 4

6 It is necessary that your supplier knows how to process your parts so that you can maximize your requirements. For automotive applications they should meet or exceed your specification requirements and for other applications they should meet the life-expectancy and/or appearance requirements for example. Wolverine Plating Corporation has been in business since 1956 providing Zinc and Zinc-Nickel coatings, not only to the automotive industry, but other industries as well, including Industrial Fasteners, Construction and Consumer Appliance. And, because of its high corrosion resistance, superior lubricity and other outstanding qualities, Wolverine also provides Tin-Zinc coatings to many industries. 3. CERTIFIED OR NOT? Once you have evaluated the capabilities of the plating supplier and know what they can and cannot provide, make sure they have the necessary experience in working with the coating types and/or the Specifications that you require. In this case we are talking about Zinc and Zinc-Nickel coatings. Each of these types of coatings have their own unique benefits, which in some cases could relate to cost and in other cases relate to the expected life of their corrosion protection properties. There is a trade-off between the two and this is something that you need to assess up front. A good supplier will be able to help you determine which coating is right for you. Remember, You get what you pay for applies here. If you want extended life, you can expect to pay more, however the amount of the extended life could far outweigh that additional up-front cost. Page 5

7 Some of the most common certifications related to plating services include: NVLAP (NATIONAL VOLUNTARY LABORATORY ACCREDITATION PROGRAM) ASQ (AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY) NASF (NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR SURFACE FINISHING) ISO/TS ACCREDITATION (FOR AUTOMOTIVE) AIAG (AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY ACTION GROUP) MAMF (MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF METAL FINISHERS) Major automotive manufacturers like, Ford, GM and Chrysler have their own approval processes for their specifications. Wolverine Plating Corporation is accredited, certified, approved and or compliant with all of the above. In addition to these, they evaluate their environmental practices, including waste disposal, water generation, compliance and materials recycling. They have received Environmentally Compliant Awards from the state of Michigan. 4. NONN ON-CONFORMANCE RATES What it all comes down to is this; any claims that a supplier makes about their quality must be backed up by proof that what they say they are doing, they actually do. Quality is arguably the most important attribute in a supplier (side bar if we go this direction with design. Reduced quality is the one of the top reasons you could lose your customer and you don t want that to happen! Ask your supplier for their quality performance statistics. How much of what they do is made with mistakes, how much is scrapped and how much can be re-worked? Keep in mind that even reputable plating companies will have a certain amount of scrap or re-work and there are reasons for it. However, these mistakes can drag out your lead times, resulting in missed delivery dates and inevitably can end up costing you time and money. Page 6

8 Wolverine Plating Corporation has a quality performance record of 99.99% defect-free materials. 5. DELIVERY PERFORMANCE RECORD You don t want to have to guess when it comes to your delivery! This is another top reason that you could lose a customer. After quality, delivery becomes the most desired performance characteristic in a plating service. Delivery nightmares will upset the balance of your organization and are something that you just don t need. We realize that not only on-time delivery is important to you, but also turnaround time and emergency deliveries are an important part of the entire delivery picture. Ask your prospective supplier for their delivery performance records for the past year. Also ask them what their typical turnaround times are and what their policies are for emergency deliveries. All of these will determine whether they are the plating company that you want to work with and entrust your credibility. Wolverine Plating Corporation has an on-time delivery performance record of 98.1%. Turnaround times can be hours or days depending on your circumstances and we are always ready to talk about any emergency situations that you have. Page 7

9 WHAT S NEXT? of this report presented five areas to consider when selecting a barrel plating provider: What are their in-house capabilities? What is their industry and material-specific experience? What type of certifications do they have? Do they have acceptable non-conformance rates? What is their delivery performance record and do they offer fast delivery options if I need them? In I, we will look at four other considerations: Does the company respond to Request for Quotes and other inquiries quickly? Do they have a thorough order review process? Are their technical experts available in case I need them? What testing services are available, should I need them? QUESTIONS? If you have any questions, contact us at (586) x 232. We would appreciate the opportunity to speak with you about your plating needs. Our team of experts is always available to provide assistance with your next plating job. Company Overview Wolverine Plating Corporation specializes in barrel plating services, specifically for Zinc, Zinc-Nickel and Tin-Zinc coatings. Wolverine Plating Corporation has been providing barrel plating services to a variety of industries (link to Industries page) since Their team of professionals combine hands-on experience and exceptional training to provide outstanding plating services and customer service. To learn more about our barrel plating services, visit our website at or call us at (586) Page 8