_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Fastco
are capable of carrying the correct loads, we could potentially reach a point where people can come into a store with a photo and have four wheels printed in an hour. It’ s currently a long way away, but this scenario is a real possibility for the future.”
Transformational software
Lee then shares how the integration of FastFinder, the company’ s fitment software, has transformed certain operations:“ It’ s our pièce de résistance. Twelve years ago, the traditional way of measuring cars for fitment of wheels and tires was essentially based on trial and error. A wheel would get sent to the customer, who would fit it and send it back if it didn’ t fit. Occasionally, we would go out with a ruler and protractor to measure particularly difficult cases. Now we have a process using a CMM( Coordinate Measuring Machine) that takes over 200 measurements in 3D which takes significantly less time.
“ Over the course of a decade and with millions of dollars of investment, we built a database with the measurements of every vehicle we could get our hands on. Now we have the data for over 79,000 vehicles. We adapted technology from the aerospace industry to 3D scan the fender and wheel well of every vehicle. Within our modeling software, we can then simulate various wheel parameters to see how they fit and adjust if needed.
“ It also provides us with other benefits we can then pass on to our customers. In the open market, away from OEMs who have very exact fitment requirements, you can have a product that can fit several different vehicles. During the engineering phase, we make sure to adapt the product to maximize fitment for our customers. We also remove the liability for end retailers. For a small‘ mom and pop shop,’ for example, who work extremely hard and may not know all the regulations in depth, we can provide that assurance by guaranteeing the fitment and ensuring the vehicle will comply with all the necessary laws, including around axel load ratings( GAWR vs GVWR) and tire pressure. Adjusted tire pressure is unique to Fastco in North America. The fitment process time has been reduced by around 90 percent and has made it significantly easier for anyone to do. Our new processes and the software we utilize have been key drivers, helping us maintain double-digit growth every year for over 20 years.”
Lee concludes, looking to what lies ahead for the company:“ Right now, our job is to maximize the Canadian market. We’ ve recently expanded our western warehouse in the province of Alberta, and we are now expanding operations into Toronto. Our first priority is expansion in the Canadian market to make sure we can effectively deliver the proper service level to our customers.
“ We also want to be expanding our footprint with OEMs. OEMs are looking for closer supply, especially with the carbon credits. We must bring the manufacturing closer to those OEM distribution points. The closer we can get to those points, the less carbon emissions we are emitting. EV wheel development will also be an area of focus. With a target of 100 percent of our cars being electric in 2035, we must make wheels lighter and more dynamic to make sure we’ re supporting the OEMs in reducing the range anxiety people currently experience.
“ A longer-term vision of ours would be to bring manufacturing entirely back to Canada. Unfortunately, with the development of emerging markets, everyone left. With carbon emissions being at the forefront of people’ s minds and geopolitical factors becoming increasingly concerning, building our own manufacturing plant would certainly be on the list of things to do.” ■
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