The management teams of Trust Technologies and Miltronics & Skye (M&S) don’t consider their shops to be shops. Rather, these two Kilroy companies are set up to be “strategic manufacturing partners,” says Chris Rawlins, sales manager for M&S.

The two companies, which share a clean facility in Mentor, Ohio, do machine complex components from tricky materials. Trust Technologies focuses on aerospace and industrial-turbine-engine components that are often made from high-temperature alloys. M&S delivers intricate implant parts to the medical industry. The companies produce these components using advanced equipment such as 13-axis Swiss-type lathes and five-axis multitasking machines in cells.

But while intricate machining is their core competency, these two companies believe that machined parts suppliers to aerospace and medical markets must be more than “shops” nowadays. That means staying in very close communication with their customers and involving themselves in the early stages of their customers’ part design processes. That way, their engineering expertise allows them to suggest ways to make machining easier (i.e., less expensive). In addition, they offer services such as vendor-managed inventory (VMI) systems, component assembly, prototyping and repair work. Plus, the companies have brought key non-machining processes in house, which saves on transportation costs and eliminates inherent communication hassles and shipping delays when using multiple vendors. Over the years, they have added processes such as passivation, electropolishing, heat treating, laser marking, electrochemical etching, welding and packaging services.

I recently met with Mr. Rawlins and Frank Jones, director of sales and marketing for Trust Technologies, to hear about a few of their companies’ efforts to “partner” with their customers. I also learned about some of the in-house improvements that have helped streamline and support those efforts. As you read the following paragraphs, reflect upon your own situation and ask yourself if you might be able to offer your customers more to help them achieve their manufacturing goals, thereby positioning your shop higher in your customers’ supply chains.

Product Focus Teams

Trust Technologies and M&S benefit by offering product design and engineering capabilities. However,