CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH MASK SUPPLIER NETS HIXSON METAL FINISHING A 6X INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY

A GOOD RELATIONSHIP IS A SUCCESS FOR BOTH PARTIES

“Shercon’s a company that seems to have taken a new look at being part of their customer’s success. They’re out on the shop floor asking ‘how can we help,’ and then doing it.”

– Doug Greene CEO, Hixson Metal Finishing

Shercon President & CEO Keith Ennis said a good supplier relationship is needed in today’s highly competitive markets. “If you’re not helping your customers succeed – if you’re just pushing parts out the door – then you’re not really doing your job, and you’re not going to prosper.”

This was echoed by Hixson’s Greene, who summed up the relationship thusly: “We’re using Shercon’s

resources to succeed. They stock our storeroom with quality products, and there are some intelligent engineers over there. Our goal is to continually improve turnaround times. They’re helping.”

“Shercon’s a company that seems to have taken a new look at being part of their customers’ success. They’re out on the shop floor asking ‘how can we help,’ and then doing it.”

Shercon manufactures OEM Rubber Products for use in the automotive, heavy agricultural equipment,

appliance, fluid control and plumbing industries. Founded in 1947, Shercon also produces high-quality

Precision Masking Products for use in the finishing industry. Headquartered in Santa Fe Springs, CA,

Shercon is a solutions-driven company which leverages its considerable design and engineering

expertise to fabricate the highest-quality products.

10425 Slusher Drive, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670Phone: 562.946.8555 Toll Free: 800.228.3218

Fax: 562.946.1015 E-Mail: sales@shercon.com Web Site: www.shercon.com

HIXSON METAL FINISHINGHIXSON METAL FINISHINGHIXSON METAL FINISHING

SURE, SHERCON CAN DO IT.

FOLD

VISIT LEADS TO DRAMATIC PRODUCTIVITY GAINSIt was during one of Shercon’s weekly visits that a Shercon engineer noticed Hixson’s workers masking hinge slots on a metal aerospace fixture with tape. This extremely time consuming process required a minimum of two hours, and often pulled other workers away from their duties to help resolve the production bottleneck.

Shercon’s Design Engineer Jimmy Rodriguez recalled that “We were there to test new custom die cut masks and took a walk around the shop. I saw them hand-applying tape into these small slots, and knew right away a custom plug would save them a lot of time.”

Greg Gannon – Hixson’s Production Manager – described the process of masking the hinges on the fixture as “tedious.”

“Imagine a fine tooth comb, and now imagine masking each tooth individually. It took 120 minutes. That’s a lot of time.”

Shercon’s Rodriguez designed a custom molded plug that simply inserted into the hinge, yet didn’t interfere with the coating process on the outside faces of the hinge.

“It wasn’t your typical cap or plug, but I had an idea in my head before I even got back to the office.”

After producing a prototype in just weeks – an “additive” design that used multiple plugs to accommodate fixtures with differing numbers of slots – Rodriguez sent the design to Hixson, and awaited feedback.

He was gratified to hear that the original design was solid, and that the only request was for a slightly softer rubber so operators could more easily insert the plug.

Rodriguez substituted a softer material, and put the mask into production. “Because the coating process used on this aerospace fixture required several coats and wash steps, we used Shercon’s Ultrabake material. It’s highly resistant to shrinkage and compression sets, so “spec'ing” a softer compound was simple. It was easy to accommodate their request for a softer plug.”

Gannon noted that the plugs were also very durable. “We still have the original plugs. We just clean the coating off with a little acetone, and they go right back in onto the line.”

“At any one time, we’ve got 460-600 active jobs in our shop -- many of these parts we haven’t even seen until they show up at our door,” said Doug Greene – CEO of the Newport Beach, CA-based company, which often serves aerospace clients.

“Our average turnaround time is 3.1 days – down from 8.5 days five years ago. Obviously, to meet turnarounds like these, a close working relationship with our suppliers is critical.”

“Shercon – our masking products supplier – is up for that kind of relationship.”

HIXSON METAL FINISHING IS A FULL SERVICE COATING AND PAINTING FIRM THAT’S WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR ABILITY TO PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY RESULTS & RAPID TURNAROUND TIMES.

THE RELATIONSHIP IS THE DIFFERENCEThe mask dramatically reduced Hixson’s prep time, eliminating a significant production bottleneck. Hixson’s Greg Gannon said: “Prep for each fixture went from two hours to less than 20 minutes, and we can have upwards of 30 fixtures in the shop at one time. You do the math.”

Given Hixson’s reputation for quality results and fast turnarounds, its supplier relationships are critical. Gannon said “Many of our jobs are produced to milspec, and always to tight deadlines, so our relationship with our suppliers is crucial.”

Shercon’s relationship extends to a weekly re-stocking of Hixson’s extensive inventory of die-cut masks and caps, and sometimes even same-day delivery of critical parts. Shercon – based in Santa Fe Springs, CA – also produces several custom molded masks for Hixson.

Gannon said “I can leverage their brainpower, and they’re constantly showing us the new stuff. They’re always improving the quality of their products, and that’s important to us given our customers’ quality demands.”

While many of their competitors specialize in one or two processes, Hixson Metal Finishing offers “one-stop shopping” for finishing processes, including generalized plating, Type I, II, III anodizing, and several painting processes.

Hixson also utilizes a realtime project tracking system that highlights stalled projects, so managers can get them back on track. Gannon said “Anything that stops moving is a problem, and we know when something stops moving.”

“Prep for one of these fixtures went from two hours to less than 20 minutes, and we can have upwards of 30 fixtures in the shop at one time. You do the math.”

– Greg Gannon Production Manager, Hixson Metal Finishing

FOLD

VISIT LEADS TO DRAMATIC PRODUCTIVITY GAINSIt was during one of Shercon’s weekly visits that a Shercon engineer noticed Hixson’s workers masking hinge slots on a metal aerospace fixture with tape. This extremely time consuming process required a minimum of two hours, and often pulled other workers away from their duties to help resolve the production bottleneck.

Shercon’s Design Engineer Jimmy Rodriguez recalled that “We were there to test new custom die cut masks and took a walk around the shop. I saw them hand-applying tape into these small slots, and knew right away a custom plug would save them a lot of time.”

Greg Gannon – Hixson’s Production Manager – described the process of masking the hinges on the fixture as “tedious.”

“Imagine a fine tooth comb, and now imagine masking each tooth individually. It took 120 minutes. That’s a lot of time.”

Shercon’s Rodriguez designed a custom molded plug that simply inserted into the hinge, yet didn’t interfere with the coating process on the outside faces of the hinge.

“It wasn’t your typical cap or plug, but I had an idea in my head before I even got back to the office.”

After producing a prototype in just weeks – an “additive” design that used multiple plugs to accommodate fixtures with differing numbers of slots – Rodriguez sent the design to Hixson, and awaited feedback.

He was gratified to hear that the original design was solid, and that the only request was for a slightly softer rubber so operators could more easily insert the plug.

Rodriguez substituted a softer material, and put the mask into production. “Because the coating process used on this aerospace fixture required several coats and wash steps, we used Shercon’s Ultrabake material. It’s highly resistant to shrinkage and compression sets, so “spec'ing” a softer compound was simple. It was easy to accommodate their request for a softer plug.”

Gannon noted that the plugs were also very durable. “We still have the original plugs. We just clean the coating off with a little acetone, and they go right back in onto the line.”

“At any one time, we’ve got 460-600 active jobs in our shop -- many of these parts we haven’t even seen until they show up at our door,” said Doug Greene – CEO of the Newport Beach, CA-based company, which often serves aerospace clients.

“Our average turnaround time is 3.1 days – down from 8.5 days five years ago. Obviously, to meet turnarounds like these, a close working relationship with our suppliers is critical.”

“Shercon – our masking products supplier – is up for that kind of relationship.”

HIXSON METAL FINISHING IS A FULL SERVICE COATING AND PAINTING FIRM THAT’S WELL KNOWN FOR THEIR ABILITY TO PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY RESULTS & RAPID TURNAROUND TIMES.

THE RELATIONSHIP IS THE DIFFERENCEThe mask dramatically reduced Hixson’s prep time, eliminating a significant production bottleneck. Hixson’s Greg Gannon said: “Prep for each fixture went from two hours to less than 20 minutes, and we can have upwards of 30 fixtures in the shop at one time. You do the math.”

Given Hixson’s reputation for quality results and fast turnarounds, its supplier relationships are critical. Gannon said “Many of our jobs are produced to milspec, and always to tight deadlines, so our relationship with our suppliers is crucial.”

Shercon’s relationship extends to a weekly re-stocking of Hixson’s extensive inventory of die-cut masks and caps, and sometimes even same-day delivery of critical parts. Shercon – based in Santa Fe Springs, CA – also produces several custom molded masks for Hixson.

Gannon said “I can leverage their brainpower, and they’re constantly showing us the new stuff. They’re always improving the quality of their products, and that’s important to us given our customers’ quality demands.”

While many of their competitors specialize in one or two processes, Hixson Metal Finishing offers “one-stop shopping” for finishing processes, including generalized plating, Type I, II, III anodizing, and several painting processes.

Hixson also utilizes a realtime project tracking system that highlights stalled projects, so managers can get them back on track. Gannon said “Anything that stops moving is a problem, and we know when something stops moving.”

“Prep for one of these fixtures went from two hours to less than 20 minutes, and we can have upwards of 30 fixtures in the shop at one time. You do the math.”

– Greg Gannon Production Manager, Hixson Metal Finishing

FOLD

CLOSE WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH MASK SUPPLIER NETS HIXSON METAL FINISHING A 6X INCREASE IN PRODUCTIVITY

A GOOD RELATIONSHIP IS A SUCCESS FOR BOTH PARTIES

“Shercon’s a company that seems to have taken a new look at being part of their customer’s success. They’re out on the shop floor asking ‘how can we help,’ and then doing it.”

– Doug Greene CEO, Hixson Metal Finishing

Shercon President & CEO Keith Ennis said a good supplier relationship is needed in today’s highly competitive markets. “If you’re not helping your customers succeed – if you’re just pushing parts out the door – then you’re not really doing your job, and you’re not going to prosper.”

This was echoed by Hixson’s Greene, who summed up the relationship thusly: “We’re using Shercon’s

resources to succeed. They stock our storeroom with quality products, and there are some intelligent engineers over there. Our goal is to continually improve turnaround times. They’re helping.”

“Shercon’s a company that seems to have taken a new look at being part of their customers’ success. They’re out on the shop floor asking ‘how can we help,’ and then doing it.”

Shercon manufactures OEM Rubber Products for use in the automotive, heavy agricultural equipment,

appliance, fluid control and plumbing industries. Founded in 1946, Shercon also produces high-quality

Precision Masking Products for use in the finishing industry. Headquartered in Santa Fe Springs, CA,

Shercon is a solutions-driven company which leverages its considerable design and engineering

expertise to fabricate the highest-quality products.

10425 Slusher Drive, Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670Phone: 562.946.8555 Toll Free: 800.228.3218

Fax: 562.946.1015 E-Mail: sales@shercon.com Web Site: www.shercon.com

HIXSON METAL FINISHINGHIXSON METAL FINISHINGHIXSON METAL FINISHING

SURE, SHERCON CAN DO IT.

FOLD