Integrating technology at a shop

By Datanomix Inc.

David Packard Co. is a full-service machining facility in Oxford, Massachusetts, with over 30 years of experience in CNC milling and turning metal parts at a 4,645-sq.-m (50,000-sq.-ft.) factory. DPC has deep relationships with a wide variety of customers in the medical, defense, firearms, fiber optics, telecommunications and commercial industries. If you attend a baseball game this season, you may sit in a seat with components made by the company. Also, in 2020, DPC was tapped to support the building of thousands of parts for defibrillators and ventilators. To keep up with demand, the company manages two fully staffed shifts with some unattended run time overnight.

Two years ago, DPC faced new challenges as the pandemic pressured component suppliers to meet unforeseen demands from customers.

“2020 was a record year for the company, with 20% growth on top line, more than tripling previous years,” said Operations Manager Tom Vinal.

He attributes the success to a spike in demand from medical customers.

During their daily meeting, Tom Vinal (left), operations manager at DPC, and Matt Dipietro (right), president and owner of DPC, discuss factory plans involving Datanomix. Image courtesy of David Packard

“While some customers were faced with shutdowns, others could not produce enough to meet new demand from the government,” Vinal said. “Packard was well positioned, with a diverse set of customers and industries driving growth through the turbulence, coming out even stronger on the other side.”

Owner and President Matt Dipietro sees new tail winds in the market and is planning for growth, carefully considering creative dimensions, including physical plant expansion and potential acquisition strategies. The company has approached the town to expand facilities, but it’s a long process. Lacking floor space for new machines, DPC seeks ways to get more out of the existing factory. An important part is the integration of technology to drive higher productivity.

“I know we can unlock 20% of additional capacity from our existing base to fill the influx of new business coming in while we put plans in place to expand our facilities,” he said. “We need to change the way we think about running the business and how we integrate technology into our management philosophy. It’s no longer optional.”