In the post-Covid-19 environment, businesses are bound to confront some of the most significant barriers pertaining to supply-chain. The impact of the pandemic on raw materials and the ability to source overseas will be a challenge for the foreseeable future as manufacturing ramps back up. Shortage in materials and components will also lead to increased costs in the short term. That’s where Vollrath Manufacturing Services (VMS) can help. “Working with a domestic supplier like VMS will have advantages. We have mill-direct relationships to source raw materials. Shipping domestically will avoid port congestion and the uncertainty of manufacturing outside of the U.S.,” says Jean Horvath, vice president of Custom and Specialty Products, Vollrath Manufacturing Services (VMS), a division of The Vollrath Company. Further, by continuing to communicate lead-times to its customers and managing its inventories, VMS can avoid delays and minimize cost impact.

At its core, VMS is a domestic industrial product solution company with the experience, expertise, and capabilities to produce complex, highly engineered products and solutions. It offers a unique breadth of in-house processes, including anodizing, deep draw stamping and annealing, metal spinning, metal stamping, metal fabrication, precision plastic injection molding, and high-quality acrylics, along with several secondary operations and turnkey solutions such as custom tooling, packaging and inventory management. A wide selection of metals is sourced mill direct from both domestic and international suppliers by VMS’s dedicated sourcing teams, which gives clients the advantage of the company’s purchasing power. “Our customers’ challenges are our challenges,” says Jean. “That’s why we provide an unparalleled level of commitment to each project, integrating ourselves into their team as needed, and pursuing the best possible solution as if the project was our own. The heavy lifting is ours, but the success is theirs.”

We provide an unparalleled level of commitment to each project. The heavy lifting is ours, but the success is theirs

Be it standard or custom products, VMS offers rapid prototyping and a vast selection of in-stock tool dies, as well as in-house tooling engineers who can modify existing dies or design and build a new tool that meets the unique criteria of each job. “Our engineering lab provides the opportunity to test components for reliability and quality characteristics,” mentions Jean. Additionally, VMS assigns a dedicated project manager for every project to ensure a successful outcome for each client. He or she oversees pulling in and coordinating all the resources and input to create custom solutions for the customer, often bringing ideas to consider that they did not know were possible. “Many times, we can leverage technology or products from other parts of our business or leverage our manufacturing capabilities to uniquely create a solution,” states Jean.

With a constant overview of the project, the project manager develops the overall timeline, monitors its progress, and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks. He or she also acts as the dedicated point of contact for the client, the liaison between the client and the internal team, and coordinates the activities of all the internal resources to ensure the product launches on time and within the cost target. It is a fundamental role that is often overlooked in the manufacturing industry, despite its significant and proven value. In addition, all Vollrath manufacturing facilities are ISO certified (ISO 9001), and its team is knowledgeable about UL, CSA, NSF, ETL, and CE standards. A quality engineer is part of the project team to ensure quality is front and center throughout the project. “As part of every project review, the component is evaluated through DFA/DFM process to ensure that we will manufacture the project in the most cost-effective and efficient way,” Jean adds. The company also provides customers with PPAP parts before production to verify that everything is exactly the way they expect it to be.

Having carved such a niche, VMS will continue to grow its customer base by expanding into new industries and investing in manufacturing capabilities to directly align with new customer needs. “We recognize that we offer a unique package of skills, experience, and capabilities that can support a wide range of customers and industries,” concludes Jean.