In honor of Earth Day 2009, Master WorkHolding, Inc. (MWH) is making changes to the process by which it gives project quotes. Based in Morganton, N.C., MWH will now be offering cost-effective “green” product options to their customers as well as a recycling plan to reuse obsolete fixtures. While maintaining current quality standards along with the existing one-year warranty plan, the new quote system will start with a basic workholding solution. Customers will now be able to discount their fixture price by selecting energy-saving options never before offered in the industry. These include:
- Recycled & rebuilt hydraulic components
- Optional black oxide
- Un-machined (burned edges) on non-critical surfaces
- Exterior hydraulic plumbing only
- Hardened components on sliding or part touching details only
- Electronic drawings as opposed to paper
Customers will also have the opportunity to return existing obsolete fixturing for a full evaluation of components. If any components are deemed reusable a credit will be issued toward your order.
Green workholding will still maintain a high level of quality without relying on operator input. In addition to lower capital equipment costs (as much as 30%) and shorter lead times, this may also help manufacturers qualify for environmental tax credits.
This new process comes at a perfect time, as auto suppliers are now scrambling to find more cost-effective means to manufacture parts. Not to mention, production quantities have slipped and product lifecycles have taken a sharp downward turn. Manufacturing no longer needs fixtures that will last a lifetime, only the lifetime of the part cycle. Recycling existing fixtures will bridge the gap between manual/disposable fixturing and dedicated/hydraulic fixtures.
Over the years MWH has made several changes in an effort to “green” its operations. Examples include recycling engineering computers and installing assembly bays so that assemblers can view solid models, which reduces the amount of paper drawings required. Also, the engineering department was given a work-from-home day to reduce driving, and the company hosts Web-based conference meetings to minimize the amount of travel required for customer and vendor reviews. MWH has also cut prices to reduce the impact of inflation - the company is actually selling fixtures today for the same prices it was 20 years ago.