Making a Small Shop Compete Big Time

Brothers Ken and Tom Van Ek have been in business together for eight years producing molds for the automotive and telecom industries at Vanex Mold, Inc., located in Jenison, Michigan, near Grand Rapids. While they are the company owners, they are also toolmakers—a necessity in this five-person shop.

While the business might appear small, it is producing big results because of the investment in a complete die/mold solution from Makino. It all started with a used Makino machine from the eighties.

"As old as it was, it ran like nothing else we had," said Tom. "We were impressed— here we had this machine that was 20 years old, and when we compared it to all our newer machines, the Makino was just smoking them.

"We could run it unattended without any problems. We came in the shop in the morning and everything we had run during the night would have great finishes. So it only made sense—we knew we were going to invest in Makino."

That set Vanex on a course to become a complete Makino die/mold shop. It incorporated Ram and wire EDM, high-speed vertical milling and graphite production machines to obtain additional work and compete with local and offshore shops.

"We have the capability to address product changes easily because we are right across town. Our timing has kept us in the game," said Ken. "We may cost a little bit more than the overseas labor, but it is easily justified with our better lead times. This equipment investment and a small, hard working crew keep our overhead low, and help us stay competitive."

Machinery Acquisitions [back to top]
Coupled with Makino's reputation, this initial success moved the brothers to purchase their first new Makino, an EDNC65 Ram EDM. When they saw test pieces run through the machine, they were impressed. "When the EDNC65 hit the floor it totally changed the way jobs ran through the EDM department," said Tom. "It was even faster— a lot faster."

"Next, we pulled the trigger on the SNC64G/S graphite/steel milling machine. We also just couldn't believe how fast it was," said Ken. "We would cut electrodes and cavities on one machine, and all so very quickly. Once we got a taste of that speed and accuracy, we wondered why we waited so long to buy Makino."

"Once we got a taste of that speed and accuracy, we wondered why we waited so long to buy Makino."

Vanex also acquired a Makino V55 vertical machine, and then purchased a new wire EDM machine, the SP43, to help keep some of its specialty wire jobs—like speedometer controls—in house.

"Because that automotive job is all wire cut, we would have had a real hard time making a profit by sending it out to a specialty wire EDM shop," said Tom. "The SP43 gives us a lot of flexibility to do things that we would have never been able to do before. It has worked out well."

Gaining a Night Shift, Additional Work [back to top]
Vanex credits the Makino machines for giving the company the ability to build as many molds as it does, and to realize the value of unattended machining. "We use the Makino machines to make our lives easier," said Ken. "The end result is so much better for us. The machines essentially give us a ‘night shift' that we wouldn't normally have."

"With all our Makino machines we can do multiple set ups and run unattended," said Tom. "We can load up the machines at the close of business, with the appropriate tooling. By the time we reopen the next morning, they are done, with no other involvement. Our end product is top quality when it comes out of the machine. Makino does make everything easier, all the way through. We can do more with fewer man hours."

And it isn't just labor that Vanex saves. Lead times are also reduced. It used to be that Vanex would need months to complete a job. Now customers want their work completed in three to four weeks. The Makino machines have given Vanex the ability to meet those deadlines.

"These machines work so quickly," said Tom. "We have the ability to take on more work, and we stay competitive because we can do it fast."

Better Tolerances Mean Less Benchwork [back to top]
In addition to speed, Vanex can expect high quality with its Makino machines. When cutting electrodes or mold inserts, tight tolerances are a necessity.

"With the V55, tolerance is not even an issue," said Tom. "Whatever we program the V55 to cut is what the machine puts out. It is so good. The results are just perfect."

With the Makino machines Vanex has also eliminated an estimated 95 percent of spotting time that was always necessary in the past to match the molds. When the machines cut the pieces, they fit together tightly, including ones with multiple sides.

"Before, if we cut a cavity part and tried to match it to the core counterpart, we would have to tweak it a little bit to make it fit," said Ken. "Now we tell the V55 what to do and we get it exactly as requested, down to the tenths. It gives us the flexibility to do things in different ways."

Driving Costs Out of the Operation [back to top]
Vanex has not only acquired better lead times and tolerances with Makino equipment, but the company ultimately saves money.

"People that don't own this type of equipment don't understand," says Ken. "They think, ‘How can it be cheaper for me to buy a higher cost machine when I have this cheaper machine that I can also build with?' But the fact is, depending on complexity, you cannot build inserts in just a few days with that lower priced machine.

"Now we wouldn't consider anything else but this level of machine technology. We know what we get as a result. We cannot even compare the work we do on a Makino to what we do on our other machines. When you are used to cutting cavities on the Makino and getting nice finishes, nothing else compares.

"The Makino machine seems expensive until you buy it," Ken continues. "Then you cannot believe what a value it really is, or how you ever made it without the machine. When you look at what it is capable of and how much work you can generate, it justifies spending the money."

"The truth is that if you spend that kind of money you make more. At the end of the day, that initial investment looks pretty small. The speed, timing, and the quality—it all adds up, and is a huge savings." And that kind of investment is what keeps a small machine shop operating "big time."

For more information about the capabilities of Vanex Mold, Inc. contact them at 2240 Pine Ridge, Jenison, MI 49428. Call them at 616-662-4100, visit the website at www.Vanextooling.com or contact them via e-mail at ken@Vanextooling.com or tom@Vanextooling.com.

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