“Longevity” is not a typical requirement for OEMs choosing a precision metal parts manufacturer, there are some important reasons why the number of years a shop has been in operation should count, alongside product quality, reliability, turnaround times, and cost.

Longevity imparts certain, undeniable facts. In a time when many machine shops have gone out of business or changed hands, the survivors have succeeded partly by being lean and delivering consistent value.

Often, this has meant moving to more precision, high-tolerance work. To win this business, shops were forced to recruit or retain skilled operators from a diminishing pool while continually investing in the latest CNC equipment. This meant investing to stay ahead of the curve even while many jobs were available only as “lowest cost” bids.

Often, this has meant moving to more precision, high-tolerance work. To win this business, shops were forced to recruit or retain skilled operators from a diminishing pool while continually investing in the latest CNC equipment. This meant investing to stay ahead of the curve even while many jobs were available only as “lowest cost” bids.

For industries that are more price-sensitive, competition among the quality shops was fierce and the only way to stay in business was to deliver consistent quality, on time, every time. Only the strong have survived, and not many shops can claim to being in business for 20 years or more.

One Customer for 50 Years — One metal parts supplier that can boast of its longevity is Dial Machine Company (dialmachine.net), a full-service precision machine shop for custom metal and plastic components. It has operated under the same family ownership and retained long-term skilled operators for the past 50 years.

If 50-years in business is impressive, even more so is the fact that Dial Machine has maintained a continuous 50-year relationship with one customer, King Tester Corporation, a pioneer supplier of Brinell hardness testing equipment.

Given the failure rate of manufacturers, revolving door ownership or management, changes in the industry, competitors set to steal away business by offering a lower price, any machine shop will acknowledge that retaining a customer over decades is even tougher than staying in business.

Over 50 years of business cooperation, Dial Machine and King Tester have witnessed many changes in the industry, notably the introduction and evolution of CNC machining.

“In the 1980s, machining had reached its limits, with rising quality demands and many skilled machinists retiring,” observed King Tester vice president Ernest Biddle. “Dial Machine was our first supplier to use CNC machines to enhance and extend quality machining. We supported this technical revolution and co-signed their loan for CNC equipment, because fast, accurate production of our test head was critical to our business.”

Since 1965, Dial Machine has been a primary supplier for the King portable Brinell hardness tester, providing parts for its hydraulic test head, body, and base. Dial handles the primary processes, such as CNC machining, metal fabrication, lathe and milling operations, as well as secondary machining, finishing, coating, deburring, grinding, and some assembly.

Biddle acknowledged John Giordano, co-owner of Dial Machine and son of the founder Anthony Giordano, for helping to produce the world’s first commercially viable, automatic Brinell microscope. Since 1987, King Tester’s King Scan® has gone through a number of iterations and improvements.

Despite the role that longevity can play in an OEM choosing an experienced metal parts manufacturer, simply being around a long time isn’t enough when it comes to precision parts. With each new generation of CNC equipment, the precision and speed increases and companies like Dial Machine must reinvest in machines while refining their techniques.

“On key parts of our portable Brinell hardness tester, such as the process of making test heads, Dial Machine works to very tight tolerances,” said Simon Focht, King Tester’s operations manager. “From a raw casting, a block of stainless steel, it essentially machines the exterior and interior in fine detail. At another point, it machines and drills a block of aluminum, using CNC equipment to achieve several tasks at the same time.”

Recently, Giordano suggested design improvements to tighten the mating fit between two elevating screws and nuts on the King Brinell hardness tester base. “With the improved tolerance of the custom mating fit, the carriage runs up and down as precisely as possible with increased longevity,” said Focht.