Value-Added Processes
AWS CWI (Certified Weld Inspector) Program
At Pickwick, welding is a core competency. To achieve the weld quality expected by our diverse customers, we have committed to the following:
- Cross-Functional American Welding Society (AWS) Certified Weld Inspectors Team (Engineer, Supervisor and Inspector) drives for continual improvement of weld product quality and people quality issues, keeping them at the forefront of our production demands.
- Welder Training Program administered in-house for both new Associates and old alike to achieve AWS D1.1 Certification at minimum and advanced levels as required before they are integrated into a dedicated cell and trained to the specific process and prints.
- Certified Magnetic Particle Inspection is available in-house upon request.
With over 70 years in manufacturing, Pickwick can tell hundreds of stories about the problems we have solved for our customers. Here are a few recent examples demonstrating how we continually work to better your Total Value via our Price, Quality and Delivery:
- Lean Manufacturing Processes - Pickwick’s on-site Certified Lean Manager guides our internal implementation and coordinates new client joint ventures such as the “supermarket” with flow-lanes a client recommended to support a 300% increase in their needs from Pickwick.
- Cost Reduction Projects - Fabrication and welding expertise may not always be available in your plant. Pickwick assigns an Engineer to each customer. We always review new prints for potential cost savings as well as manufacturability. Upon request, we can cooperate with your engineers to review designs for cost-cutting or value-added suggestions.
- Design for Manufacturing - Pickwick takes the initiative to reduce the cost of parts, fabrications and assemblies for you when opportunities arise.
- Recently a customer provided a “napkin sketch” of an improved carrier for a large part to solve field problems. Pickwick designed the prototype based on our Fabrigear structural steel laser’s capability to prepare beam, tube and angle to tight tolerances for “no tacking, no fixture” assembly.
- We also analyzed 15 subcomponents of a major assembly to see if we could simplify their manufacture. This review resulted in reducing 18 separate brake press setups to 5, making it possible to flow the parts in small batches to match the day’s production and eliminate inventory. We gladly shared the cost savings with the customer.
- Mixed Model Builds — Your projections show you should sell 12-Model A, 8-Model B, and 2-Model C next month – but not in what order. Pickwick provides 3-A and 2-B weekly with a C every other week for the same cost. We adjust the mix on your command. Our Mixed Model capabilities flow kitted fabrications to meet your weekly, daily or monthly needs with no stock. After years of experience, for one customer, we even split the mix in their 2-part returnable container to insure precise match to their build, unit by unit.
- Produce to Demand rather than to Buffer Stock –
- A long-time, single-product client moved a higher volume, complex product line to Pickwick’s care. We accepted the responsibility to build whichever specific model of this large assembly their end customer selects, complete with its options, and ship in 4 weeks or less. With over 800 possible variations, we build each unit from scratch in a Dedicated Cell with an output capacity adjusted in concert with the customer’s projected sales volume. No components above hardware and raw material are stocked in advance, and the final assembly is shipped painted with decals applied, ready to erect.
- Over the years, Pickwick has perfected coordination of deliveries with our customer’s true needs. One customer’s ERP projects assembly line needs as much as a year in advance for the several hundred unique parts on Pickwick’s Blanket Order, but each plant has limited space and unforeseen needs. Pickwick plans to the schedule, but ships to verbal instructions and receipt of Kanban containers.
- During a major recession, a customer redirected most of its fabrication needs to Pickwick for two years. Pickwick assumed new, complex items, allowing uninterrupted service. We maintained or improved their cost. When the customer’s business recovered, we supported transfer of items back to their original suppliers to meet their corporate diversity requirements. Our relationship with this customer has continued and grown.
- Dynamic Kitting - For nearly a decade, Pickwick has supplied kits of weldments and fabrications customized individually to each of our customer’s retail sales orders, and delivered them Just-In-Time twice a day to the assembly floor.
- Eliminating Secondary Operations on Structural Steel, Tube Components – Pickwick’s Fabrigear Structural Steel and Tube Laser has 26 axes and a 5-station tapping head to automatically process 26 ft. lengths of 5/8 in. wall beams, angles, and channel or tube, without fixtures or manual positioning. – Click here for a video demo of the Fabrigear Structural Steel Laser.
