_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fastco
Right now, our job is to maximize the Canadian market
“ Aside from the typical importation and distribution of certain products, Fastco is unique in Canada because we are a manufacturer. Designing and engineering products in Canada can be slightly more expensive, but it gives us a superior product and excellent speed to market. For a collaboration with an OEM, for example, who would want their logo in the center, they like somebody to design, engineer, manage, certify, sign off, distribute and deliver those products to their dealers. This represents a significant portion of our business. Overall, the operation is mainly split between two sections: the manufacturing for OEMs, and then the manufacturing of our own brands, including Fast Wheels, Fast EV, Fast FC, Fast HD for trucks, and Braelin, which is our luxury brand. We also make replica OEM wheels, and we have another six brands that we make for our OEM partners.
“ Designing and engineering homologated products for OEMs can be complex. Sometimes they have manufacturing standard documents that can be hundreds
of pages long. These products must meet several requirements, including various safety testing. I once spent two full days in a thirdparty testing facility in Switzerland, torquing a wheel nut to ensure that the deflection of the wheel seat was better than the OEM. Sometimes these projects require 18 months to two years to build to ensure that the product is of the highest quality possible.”
Future possibilities
Lee’ s example perfectly illustrates Fastco’ s dedication to excellence – he goes on to outline the company’ s approach to automation and the contribution that makes:“ It’ s absolutely key. Without question, it’ s quicker, less expensive, and certainly more accurate. We’ ve already implemented some automation at the factory level. Artificial intelligence( AI) is certainly huge, especially with forecasting, planning, and production, which helps us optimize our operations.
“ In the coming years, though, I think AIdriven 3D printing will also become a major factor. At the moment, we use a 3D printer for a limited number of plastic applications, including hub rings. Metal printing is in its infancy right now, but as the technology progresses and can produce products that
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