“ We have learned how important a positive company culture is . We have broken down the walls between the shop and the office . The family heritage is a big factor and we work hard on getting to know and understand our people ,” explains Dave .
Important investments
Supply chain connections have been strained since the disruption caused by Covid , and that has had an effect on Hamilton Caster ’ s hard-won culture of Lean manufacturing . Because lead times can be so long , the business has had to increase its inventory and Work in Progress ( WIP ) at any given time . While it would rather keep operations as tight as possible , delivery to customers is of prime importance . Equally , the organization has had to make some tough decisions about the supply chain , too . with staff shortages and sourcing materials . The closer the relationship , the easier it is to work with them and to overcome or work around those challenges and supply issues . We sometimes have to develop alternative sources but we prefer to have and to develop long-term relationships .”
Labor and skills shortages are often the incentive for investment . Hamilton Caster has acquired some adjacent property and bought in a whole new robotically run CNC lathe work cell , with automated loading and unloading . Additionally , the business now manufactures even more of its own wheels , enabling it to ensure reliable and timely product delivery .
“ There has never been more investment in capital equipment and infrastructure in my whole 40 years here ,” Dave concludes . ■
www . hamiltoncaster . com
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Labor and
often the incentive for investment
“ We have long standing relationships with most of our suppliers and are working on making the key relationships closer , with visits both here and to their premises ,” Dave says . “ Things aren ’ t always rosy . We have had some challenges with key suppliers because they have had limitations , like everyone else , manufacturing-today . com 115