Inticore took a task to rethink the supply chain of a high precision shaft whose supply had been a challenge due to multiple processes involved in the manufacturing of the part. The OEM customer had inconsistent quality and supply behavior. High end machine investment can provide consistent quality in supply. However, the cost of supply was not feasible. A hybrid solution that could keep the costs low and yet confirm the quality, had to be designed.

• • The component had to go through seven different processes, which makes it prone to variations in tolerance between different set-ups.
• • We identified processes that could be semi-automated to improve the repeatability in tolerances.
• • Inticore designed special purpose machines (SPM) to avoid investment in high end processing machines.
• • Processes like heat treatment (HT) were brought inhouse to ensure consistency maintained during the process. During HT, continuous checking of parameters and results are necessary to maintain repeatability in the output.
• • Investing into high-end testing facilities is absolutely important to ensure that there is no slippage in the dimensional output due to any variation in machine performance that may happen because of wear and tear.
• • Best practices like LEAN process flow, basics of SIX SIGMA and 5S, were followed to reduce the use of manhours and thus reducing cost of manufacturing. Inticore was able to identify the problem, design a solution and get the results over a period of 5 months.