An article published in Progressive Distributor - Nov./Dec. 2000
As every good distributor salesperson knows, sometimes you can’t find solutions in the pages of a catalog. Real-life problems can be tough to solve.
When looking for solutions for surface conditioning applications, distributors and end-users turn to Weiler Corporation’s Application Engineering team. Weiler’s Application Engineering team provides brush and abrasives product solutions for all types of applications, from typical, to unusual, to the most complex. For example, customers have asked Weiler engineers to help solve surface conditioning problems as varied as:
removing burrs from stamped-steel automotive parts blending welds and cut marks on steel or aluminum frames achieving the right shine on a piece of fine china removing seams from a teddy bear’s legs
On a daily basis, the problem-solving team answers questions about specific applications over the phone. Weiler offers a dedicated hotline (888-299-2777) staffed by in-house application engineers to answer end-user or distributor questions about specific deburring, finishing and cleaning applications.
Distributors and end-users can call Weiler's Application Engineering hotline for application assistance.
In other cases, customers send parts to Weiler’s Cresco, Pa., facility for comprehensive testing in a controlled setting, eliminating the need for customers to spend their time and effort on experimentation. Engineers review the current process to help determine the most cost-effective method to meet the end-user’s requirements. Whether it’s deburring, edge blending, weld cleaning, stock removal or a unique situation, Weiler can provide a quality solution for the user’s specific surface conditioning needs.
On-site assistance
When those alternatives are exhausted, Weiler will even send an engineer to the end-user’s site to gather data first hand before making a recommended solution. If one of Weiler’s 6,500 standard products won’t fit a particular application, application engineers will custom-design a product to fit the need. For example, a Weiler distributor recently asked application engineer Brad Hopkins for help in solving a customer’s problem. The customer manufactures automatic transmission ring gears by stamping them out of a flat piece of steel, resulting in burrs along the edges of the gears. The manufacturer uses a custom-built production machine equipped with wire brushes to deburr the part, but sends parts through multiple times to remove the burrs. Often, the finished result is still unsatisfactory.
Hopkins visited the customer’s site, worked alongside its production engineers to understand the manufacturer’s process, and ultimately custom-designed a special wire knot brush for the job.
“Our solution will enable them to run their product through the deburring machine just once, saving them production time and money,” Hopkins says.
Application engineer Brad Hopkins inspects automatic transmission ring gears for burrs after testing in Weiler's in-house lab.
When appropriate, Weiler provides the customer with a Value Analysis Worksheet. This worksheet documents the ultimate cost savings to the end-user by considering elements such as cycle time, set-up time, product cost, labor and overhead rates.
Company chairman Karl Weiler says the objective is to focus on solving problems. “We want to be a solution provider to the manufacturer in order to solve problems — and equally important — cut his costs and increase his profitability,” he says.
Innovative solutions
Gary Sukopp, president of Machine Tool Supply in Eagan, Minn., a Weiler distributor, says his company often relies on Weiler’s engineering expertise to help solve customer problems.
“Weiler will actually take a customer’s part into their testing laboratory and develop a process to eliminate the burrs or whatever the problem the customer faces,” he says. “Sometimes, they’ll even recommend a machine along with the brush or abrasive product to take care of the customer’s requirements. It’s focused on getting a solution for the customer as opposed to pushing products. It’s a service that very few suppliers offer.”
Another example of an innovative solution is an in-machine deburring process using Nylox nylon abrasive filament brushes. Weiler helped a manufacturer of screw compressors eliminate a manual deburring process by devising a method for deburring parts without first removing them from a machining center. Placing the deburring operation in the CNC machining center increased cycle time by 3 percent, saved $60,000 per year in manual labor costs and resulted in a more uniform surface on finished parts. This significantly reduced scrap and rework.
These are just a few examples of how Weiler Application Engineering assistance helps customers in search of solutions to unique problems. By combining Weiler’s broad product offering with the support of its Application Engineering team, distributors can count on Weiler to provide solutions to those tough end-user applications.
Weiler frequently sends application engineers to the end-user's facility to provide the most cost-effective product or process recommendation.
State-of-the-art logistics
Have you ever received a frantic phone call from a customer looking for a product that you don’t have on your shelf? There’s a good chance Weiler can ship the product overnight. Weiler’s Priority Products Program guarantees shipment of its most popular items in 24 hours.
The 57,000-square foot distribution center utilizes a computerized pick-to-light process for quick and accurate picking and shipping.
A state-of-the-art warehouse in Cresco, Pa., uses a computerized pick-to-light process and bar code technology to speed parts flow from production to shipping. Instead of walking through a massive warehouse with a crumpled order form in hand, pickers utilize radio frequency bar code wands and the latest warehouse management system technology. The system automatically instructs pickers where to locate the products they need to fill orders quickly and efficiently. Three verification stations virtually eliminate the chance for errors and the cost and hassle of returns or short shipments.
The result: Weiler shipments are 99.8 percent accurate. Accurate shipments eliminate the need for costly returns, invoice corrections and credits.
