Case Studies

“Lean” operations are a common objective of many of today’s manufacturers. The benefits of “Lean” may include a reduction in process time, reduction of inventory, reduction in direct labor, and reduction in manufacturing space required.

The overall objective is to be more competitive in time to market and cost, enabling manufacturers to gain market share and improve profitability.

One such customer of Rockford-Ettco is a major player in the small off-road vehicle market. This manufacturer utilized Rockford-Ettco equipment in a manufacturing cell producing vehicle frames. Tubular components of the vehicle frame are kitted and placed into a sliding drawer fixture. In one short cycle, all frame components are drilled by four seventy-spindle universal drill and tap heads are installed on four synchronized, side-by-side high-capacity drills.

At the completion of the drill process, the operator places the drilled parts into an adjacent fixture for the next operation, automated welding of the frame components, and reloads the fixture for the next drill cycle.

This manufacturer has significantly reduced cycle time, work-in-process inventory, overall floor space required, and direct labor.

Rockford-Ettco’s products have been the standard in this customer’s plant for many years, delivering unparalleled drilling and tapping and reliable service.

Reduced Setup Times and increased throughput were the objectives of Rockford-Ettco’s conveyor manufacturing customer. Our customer was utilizing a “homemade” machine to drill holes in the ends of a variety of lengths of conveyor spindles.

While the homemade machine had served the needs of this growing customer for many years, it was not only getting old and tired but lacked the ease of setup and capability to drill the full range of lengths that the company’s product line offered.

Rockford-Ettco’s design engineers took on the task of designing a machine that was capable of handling an infinite number of lengths from 12″ to 48″, could be set up in 15 minutes or less, and could be run unattended.

The machine pictured, manufactured by Rockford-Ettco’s skilled technicians met all of the needs of the customer for a quality precision product, short setup times, reduced labor, and increased throughput. All of this was accomplished with a machine that boasts the best in modern drilling equipment and electronic controls and reliability.

Drilling and Tapping in the same machine cycle is a common request from Rockford-Ettco’s customers. Many manufacturers of automotive parts have chosen Rockford-Ettco to provide durable, reliable, and precise machines to meet the demanding quality and cost requirements of the automotive industry. Rockford-Ettco’s skilled engineering and technical staff have a long history of meeting and exceeding the needs of these customers.

A major automotive aftermarket manufacturer commissioned Rockford-Ettco to design and build a machine to drill and tap parts in adjacent stations. The pictured machine met the overall needs of this customer for a specialized machine at a reasonable cost. Rockford-Ettco’s engineers accomplished this by building this “custom” machine from a standard machine platform.

One of our automotive transmission manufacturer customers recently commissioned us to rebuild and refurbish a machine Rockford-Ettco designed and delivered to them in 1995. This 12-year-old machine served them well producing a high-volume part on a rotary three-station drilling and tapping machine. Product redesign obsoleted the part the machine was originally designed to produce. Our customer was so pleased with the service they received from this 12-year-old machine that they asked us to rebuild it for the newly designed part.

Another major manufacturer of commercial vehicle wheels and hubs has been a customer for over twenty years. Today, they rely almost entirely on durable Rockford-Ettco equipment to produce their full range of products on single-station and multiple-station inline and rotary equipment.

A well-known manufacturer of marine equipment has specified Rockford-Ettco CNC 50 Taper heads exclusively for the drilling and tapping requirements utilizing their Mazak magazine-fed machining center.

 Their decision to use Rockford-Ettco is based upon the reliable and durable service these heads have provided for many years.

A major building materials manufacturer uses our equipment to produce its wood windows and doors. Precision holes are required to assemble products that are weather tight, square, and durable.

Our multiple spindle product reduces manufacture time and provides a perfect hole and perfect part every time.