Bringing back business is groovy

END USER: Alecto Industries Inc., (708) 344-1488, www.alecto.biz.
CHALLENGE: Regain business from a former customer by winning bids on a family of shafts with multiple grooves.
SOLUTION: Versatile grooving and turning tools.
SOLUTION PROVIDER: Kaiser Tool Co. Inc., (888) THINBIT, www.thinbit.com.

A job shop typically serves a host of steady but transient customers, and while losing one always creates stress, it rarely spells catastrophe. Losing its largest customer, however, can test a shop’s ability to stay in business. Alecto Industries Inc. experienced that scenario and more during the Great Recession, noted Darren Musial, general manager for the Maywood, Ill., job shop. In addition to losing its top customer, Alecto lost several smaller ones and some of the remaining customers drastically cut their orders.

“One customer scaled back from accounting for nearly an eighth of our inventory to only ordering one or two parts per year with runs of fewer than 1,000 pieces,” Musial said.

Courtesy of Kaiser Tool

Thinbit Groove ‘N Turn tools are ground with a clearance, enabling plunging and turning at diameter to produce the required width.

Alecto primarily serves the hydraulic, antenna, security and printing industries, producing parts from ¼” to 2″ (6.35mm to 50.8mm) and larger in diameter and lengths from 0.062″ (1.57mm) for washers to more than 17″ (431.8mm) for shafts.

In response to the business setbacks, Alecto cut hours and costs as much as possible, according to Musial. Although it no longer received work from the customer that used to provide the most, Alecto maintained the relationship. “From time to time, we’d see quotes but not orders,” he said.

That changed when the former customer requested a quote for a family of shafts with two, four or six grooves. Groove widths ranged from 0.025″ to 0.200″ (0.635mm to 5.08mm), with a tolerance of ±0.0015″ (0.0381mm), and diameters from 0.200″ to 0.400″ (5.08mm to 10.16mm), with a tolerance of ±0.001″ (0.0254mm).

Courtesy of Alecto Industries