Time is money in machining. When your equipment is down or you don’t have the cutting tools you need, it can really be costly. Companies involved in machining are feeling this more than ever as supply chain and labor shortage issues mean many tool manufacturers are taking longer to fill orders. If it used to take a few weeks for you to get your custom tools, you may now be seeing lead times measured in months.
However, longer lead times are not a problem at MITGI. You can still get custom carbide cutting tools, for all sorts of applications, often shipped to you within two weeks (some orders are even faster). Standard orders ship within three days and tools we have in stock can ship same day. Here’s how we built a business based on keeping these promises.
MITGI opened in 1993 and immediately found its niche as the quick-turn experts for delivering custom tools for machining. This has been our business model from the start, enabling us to build long-term relationships with companies that rely on a steady and predictable supply of custom tools. Because this is our model, you will never have to pay a rush order fee to get your tools faster.
Here are some of the ongoing practices built into our business that ensure you will continue to be able to get quality tools quickly.
You can’t manufacture cutting tools if you don’t have carbide. That’s why MITGI keeps a large supply of the most commonly used carbide blanks in stock at all times. This allows us to quickly ramp up production to meet rush orders without jeopardizing next quarter’s planned shipments. This precautionary inventory practice has been standard at MITGI for decades.
MITGI is a lean operation that stays true to our motto–we are customer focused, employee driven. We empower our employees to find ways to make our business more efficient for you. This philosophy has allowed us to create an order fulfillment process that is responsive to your needs at every step.
MITGI employees have found efficiencies for receiving and entering orders, communicating with customers, turning around print approvals, getting tools into production, offering in-house coating, and expediting shipping. These are the cultural norms we operate under and what our customers have grown to expect from working with us.
Since our business was built to meet tight deadlines from the very start, we are able to maintain a production schedule that operates with flexibility for rush orders.
We expect to get your call or email requesting a tool in two weeks’ time—it’s our bread and butter business model. This allows us to flex production without breaking our commitment to regular customers who expect their standing orders to ship the same day each month.
So, if you’re facing expanding lead times from your tool supplier and it’s getting in the way of your success, get in touch with us or fill out a quote sheet.