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MFG.com saves Servocell time and money
14 Feb 2008
A Harlow company has solved a sourcing headache by turning to MFG.com, the global manufacturing marketplace. Servocell applies piezo-based actuator technology to produce a range of innovative electromechanical locks and gas valves, and using MFG.com, it sourced two battery to PCB contact terminals from Hong-Kong based Oasis Manufacturing. The components are simple phosphor bronze progression pressings.
With a core design team at its Essex, headquarters it uses an international network of subcontract manufacturers, suppliers and sales agents to address the global markets where its technology is being exploited.
According to Chrys Chrysostomou, Director of Engineering at Servocell, MFG.com has offered the engineers a huge productivity enhancement.
“We’ve certainly found it very helpful indeed. One of the biggest drains on and Engineer’s time is trying to find suppliers for parts – and there is an awful lot of legwork involved when you are ‘manually’ sourcing components. It is great to have a service were we can post details and criteria online and vendors bid for the business. The process is now simpler and quicker as well as giving us access to a much larger array of suppliers.
“The presentation is great and the user reviews on there are invaluable. If I am sourcing a supplier myself, I am going to have nobody’s word except theirs that they are any good. It is great to have the ability to check and see who has done business with them before and what they say about them. And that was how we ultimately decided on Oasis Manufacturing for the parts we have just sourced,” says Chrys. “The company is very impressive – it was clear from the start they knew what I was asking for. When I went on MFG.com and saw they had good reviews from the people that are using them, it made the decision much easier.”
He adds, “From the time we put the RFQ on MFG.com until we got a quote from Oasis was just two days. We had seven or eight quotes within two days of posting the enquiry. These people are very motivated sellers, which is great from my point of view. It means we are not chasing anyone. If I’ve got people chasing my business then my life is easy.
“If it hadn’t been for MFG.com, the only option that I could see us seriously exploring was making these things ourselves. We had started on the path of designing a press tool, but I think we would have ended up having everything etched. These little 0.2mm phosphor bronze parts would have cost a fortune. Oasis are able to ship us 200,000 of pieces for less than it would have cost to have a press tool made. I’m really very impressed with MFG.com and will certainly be using it again.”
“We are a growing, design and manufacturing company where many employees multi-task. Tools such as MFG.com enable smaller organisations like ours to complete with larger companies. I would highly recommend the services of MFG.com to any business, large or small”
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