Machine Builders Increase Design Possibilities; Management Contains Cost

There is a new business model that will change the way, design, procurement and manufacturing protocols are set while simultaneously achieving cost and time savings, according to Masanori Suzuki, president of Misumi USA headquarters.

During a recent interview Suzki gave example of how companies are using automation to improve design processes.

"At one builder, Dial Tool of Addison, Ill., a company dedicated to the design and building of automated assembly equipment and machinery, they reported a reduction in machine section design time from 20 hours to 20 minutes, as the result of our system," explained Masanori Suzuk, president of Misumi USA.

Misumi offers over 500,000 metric and inch components for factory automation, but they are most definitely not a traditional catalog house, says their president. Rather, since most components such as shaft, bearings, linear actuators, brackets, pulleys, belts, clamps and clips are configurable, a machine builder can design with a completely new freedom of range, to suit the application at hand. Plus, even in small quantities, there is never a tooling charge and no minimum order requirement from Misumi. One configured part or a thousand different ones can be obtained in a few days and many builders are doing just that.

Masanori Suzuki, President, Misumi USASalem Design of Salem, Ohio, a producer of both custom and standard test equipment, has actually produced machines with 100% Misumi content. As owner Phil Warga notes, "We now begin the design process with the Misumi catalog."

The business model, as described by Suzuki, goes beyond the features above. No part drawings are required, as the website visitor can use the Misumi CAD Configurator to download native files into assemblies online to verify fit, form and function. Also, when required, configurable components can be fashioned, downloaded and similarly checked for suitability.

The company boasts 99.95% on-time delivery, with most products shipping in 3-6 days. Next day and even same day shipping is also available, even on some configured parts.This involves the unique manner in which online configured part numbers translate into the cutting sequences for the machine tools manufacturing the parts at one of Misumi's international business partners, who currently number over 600.

For the future, Suzuki envisions more customers starting their machine design process with the Misumi components in mind. As a direct result of designing their machines with Misumi, quantifiable cost savings up to 50% are routinely being realized by many builders, such as packaging giant MWV (formerly MeadWestvaco), where mechanical engineering chief Michael Flagg reports exactly that level of savings on the company's cost for factory automation components. Such multi-nationals can also utilize the Misumi online Web Ordering System to pool purchases, upload parts orders and reorder, since the order history is archived, so configured or any standard parts ordered can be reused for future machine builds.

Suzuki sees this scenario being repeated in every industry Misumi sells and "...it's a trend I expect will continue, as part of our exponential growth into the future with American industry."

Masanori Suzuki is the president of Misumi USA, Inc., a position he's held since early 2007. Located in Schaumburg, Ill., MISUMI USA, Inc. was established in 1988 as a subsidiary of Japan-based MISUMI Corp. The company supplies configurable and fixed components for factory automation. www.misumiusa.com