How Our Aerospace Machine Shop Helps Primes Add Approved Suppliers
At Focused on Machining, we take pride in supporting prime contractors with reliable quality and consistent on-time delivery. But being a great aerospace machine shop means going beyond manufacturing, as well.
One way we add value is by helping primes expand their approved supplier lists when bottlenecks begin affecting schedules. In our partnerships with primes like United Launch Alliance (ULA) and Lockheed Martin, we’ve learned that secondary processing from a small list of approved suppliers can add significantly to timelines.
We’ve stepped up to help them add trusted suppliers to their lists. It’s not a simple process, but we believe this proactive support is part of being the best manufacturing partner possible.
The Hidden Bottleneck: Limited Approved Supplier Lists
Many prime contractors maintain approved supplier lists for processes such as plating, finishing, and heat treating. These lists can be important for quality control and compliance, especially in areas like aerospace machining.
However, these lists can sometimes create constraints. The vendors may naturally be busy, especially if they’re serving a large number of precision machine shops all working for the same prime.
We’ve seen situations where a tight supplier list could increase lead times by three to five weeks for secondary processing alone. When that happens, turnaround can take time, even if our machining is extremely efficient.
How We Help Primes Add Qualified Vendors
When we see a potential supplier bottleneck, we reach out to primes to help them qualify additional vendors that we believe will be a strong match. It’s a collaborative effort, and primes sometimes tell us they haven’t had other machine shops help in this way.
We first start a three-way conversation, connecting the prime and the vendor. We often help “translate” for each party. For instance, primes may use internal specification references for certain processes that we understand, but vendors can’t immediately recognize.
From there, we help them understand which specifications the vendor can certify to, what documentation is required, and how the process will proceed moving forward with audits, paperwork, or other steps.
The Outcome: Reduced Lead Times and Lower Risk
This kind of coordination takes real effort, and usually takes three to six months to get a new vendor onto the list. But the long-term payoff for both our shop and the primes can be substantial. It leads to faster turnarounds with trusted vendors and helps to break through a bottleneck.
One success story from recent months is Metal Finishing Company in Wichita, Kansas. We’ve worked with them for plating on ULA projects, and their quality and reliability have stood out. But they weren’t yet approved with ULA for heat treating stainless steel, even though they had the capability to do that work.
We shared our experience with ULA and encouraged them to expand approval into those additional processes, helping to start the conversation with the vendor. They agreed, and it added significant flexibility for future projects.
This type of approval expansion is especially valuable because it can enable the consolidation of multiple processes with one vendor. When a part requires several secondary operations, sending it to multiple vendors can add weeks of handoffs and significant lot fees. Consolidating processes under one roof can significantly reduce cost and shorten lead times.
Supporting You as an Aerospace Machine Shop
Precision machining will always be our core service. But we’re committed to adding value throughout our partnership, whether that means helping you find suppliers, achieving Level 2 CMMC certification early, or communicating proactively to keep your project on track.
Request a quote today and collaborate with a partner that is proactive in supporting your success!