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How Metal Stampers Can Combat With Off-Shoring
T&C Stamping has been churning out stamped parts in Athens, AL since 1985. From appliance to automotive to electromechanical parts, T&C Stamping has acquired a large customer base across several sectors of stamping. The company has seen the industry change rapidly in its 50 years of operations. In recent years, a need to be more competitive and efficient has risen with the increase of overseas competition.
When asked what the biggest challenge is for metal stampers today, T&C Stamping's Sales & Marketing Director, Weston Coleman, stated, "Off-shoring is certainly one of the biggest challenges we face today." Off-shoring has forced T&C Stamping and many other American manufacturers to adapt to the changing conditions at a rapid pace.
What Is Off-Shoring
Off-shoring is when a company moves its manufacturing overseas for cheaper pricing. This process, in turn, allows the company to sell its product at a better price for consumers. Off-shoring began affecting US metal stampers in the late 1970s. This trend continued well into the 2000s. While there has been a concerted effort to re-shore some American manufacturing, off-shoring will continue being a significant hurdle for US stampers.How T&C Combats Off-Shoring
T&C Stamping has thrived in 2023 by embracing and adapting to the changing landscape. With the threat of losing business, the company's leadership recognized the need to find a solution that positioned themselves better in the market. Ultimately, they needed to become more attractive to potential customers in the US."You have to look for ways to be more competitive. You have to look for ways to be more efficient.", Weston stated.
After much contemplation and research, T&C Stamping decided to purchase a SEYI SD2-330, a 330-ton servo press. They believed the benefits of a servo press would give them the competitive advantage they sought in the US stamping market. Weston went on to say, "A servo press is certainly one way to become more competitive. With the technical aspects of the servo, there are features that allow you to be more efficient and run at higher stroke speeds."
Ultimately, the SEYI servo presses provide several key advantages that help T&C Stamping combat off-shoring and provide US manufacturers with the best solution.
More Output
One of the primary ways T&C Stamping battles off-shoring is by lowering prices for their customers.
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To make up for the smaller margins, they use the features of the servo press to create more parts than a mechanical press. Efficiency is the name of the game. T&C Stamping's servo presses typically run in pendulum motion or a custom profile in which the stroke maximizes its speed during the non-working portion. Both profiles reduce the stroke’s non-working time so that more time is spent stamping parts. |
"Sometimes the stroke speed in a servo is as much as 30% faster than in a traditional mechanical press," stated Weston when discussing output increases. The servo press is the competitive advantage T&C Stamping hoped for when making the investment. Five years later, they continue to see higher outputs in less time.
Smaller Die with Less Stations
The features of the servo press have allowed T&C Stamping to save money in other ways that one might not consider. T&C Stamping has found that they can save significant amounts of money by using shorter dies for parts with significant draws. When performing deep draw work with a mechanical press, one must use a progressive die with several idle stations. These extra stations lead to large, expensive dies.With the ability to dwell and hold a part during the draw, one can eliminate the need for extra stations with the servo press. This feature allows T&C Stamping to use shorter, less expensive dies in their servo presses. "We've been able to shorten the dies, which has allowed us to reduce its cost. That's another way we've been able to combat off-shore tooling prices with the features of the servo press," mentioned Weston. Additionally, these smaller dies are quicker to setup and easier to store, providing more overlooked benefits.
Better Quality Parts
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T&C Stamping keeps an ace up its sleeve. Very few overseas competitors can match the quality of their parts. In addition to higher output, the servo press allows T&C Stamping to produce higher-quality parts than its competition. With a fully adjustable stroke, operators can tailor the stroke to the die. |
This results in parts with fewer burrs, draw marks, and other imperfections that are more common on a mechanical press. For many customers, improved quality is the difference between using T&C Stamping and going overseas.
Improved Setup Time
T&C Stamping enjoys more uptime through efficient die changes made possible by the servo press. T&C's SD2-330s have a 200-job recipe storage in the PLC, which minimizes the setup time. This feature allows T&C Stamping to change the die and easily program the stroke to the saved profile for the die.|
"One of the features we love is the ability to program the machine to a certain job. As soon as we set a die, we select the program for that particular job," stated Weston, regarding setup times. He added, "You don't need to tweak or manipulate the press. It's already programmed and knows what to do when the die is in the press." This feature eliminates the need to constantly program the press without compromising the stroke profile. |
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SEYI Service
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Downtime is the silent killer when it comes to stamping. Every hour your press is down is money lost. Understanding this, T&C Stamping decided they needed a supplier who emphasized service. "While the presses are fantastic, the biggest reason we chose SEYI was the service," stated Weston. For T&C Stamping, accessibility is SEYI’s defining factor. |
During and after the installation, T&C noticed that SEYI technicians were present the entire time until the plant was running parts. Five years after the installation, T&C commented that the SEYI service team is still as available as it was during the installation.
Benefits Tenfold
After just one year of purchasing the SD2-330, T&C saw the benefits tenfold. The following year, T&C purchased a second 330-ton servo press to maximize its advantage. Today, these two presses are a major selling point when prospecting new business.
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T&C Stamping's investment in SEYI goes down as the best investment the company has made, according to Weston. With its skilled personnel in Athens, the company looks forward to continuing its growth well into the future. To see our interview with T&C Stamping's Sales & Marketing Director, Weston Coleman, click this Testimonial Video to find out more! |
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SEYI As Your Partner for Press Supply
SEYI is a global supplier of mechanical and servo presses ranging from 25 to 2400 tons (28~2750 US tons). SEYI aims to not only be the leading supplier but also the leading example in all things metal stamping. It is globally supported and locally run. With a worldwide network of sales and service locations, SEYI provides full installations, spare parts, and routine service to every customer. 60 years of experience helps SEYI craft a solution specific to your equipment needs.
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