News & Updates Archives - Cass Precision Machining

The Benefits of Consolidating a Supply Base in Manufacturing

In the dynamic world of manufacturing, efficiency and reliability are the cornerstones of success. One strategy that has gained increasing recognition in recent years is the consolidation of a supply base. By reducing the number of suppliers and fostering strong partnerships with a select few, manufacturers can unlock a multitude of benefits. At Cass Precision Machining, we are a strategic supplier that excels in quality, service, reliability, agility, trust, and DFM (design for manufacturing).

Quality Assurance

Quality is the bedrock of manufacturing, and it becomes more attainable when you streamline your supply base. Strategic suppliers understand the unique requirements of each of their clients and consistently deliver components that meet or exceed the highest quality standards.
Consolidating your supplier base allows for clearer communication of quality expectations, enabling you to build stronger relationships with your suppliers. This results in fewer defects, reduced rework, and more consistent and superior product quality.

Exceptional Service

Service excellence is another key benefit of consolidating your supply base. When you work closely with a select group of suppliers, you build a partnership founded on mutual understanding and trust. This fosters a higher level of service and responsiveness as suppliers become intimately familiar with your needs and expectations.
Good suppliers show their commitment to service through their ability to adapt to changing project requirements quickly. Their agility in addressing unexpected challenges or accommodating revisions is a testament to the value of having a strategic supplier who truly understands your business.

Reliability and Consistency

Reliability is paramount in manufacturing, and it’s one of the key advantages of consolidating your supply base. A supplier with a consistent track record and dedication to meeting deadlines makes them a trusted partner for their clients. By working closely with fewer suppliers, you can better rely on consistent performance and delivery, reducing production disruptions and associated costs.

Agility and Adaptability

Manufacturing is an ever-evolving field, and agility is essential to stay competitive. A good supplier’s ability to adapt to changing project requirements or market conditions is a hallmark of their service. A consolidated supply base allows for greater flexibility in adapting to these changes, as your strategic suppliers are more inclined to collaborate on solutions and explore cost-effective alternatives.

Trust and Partnership

Trust is the foundation of any successful partnership, and it’s a defining feature of a consolidated supply base. At Cass Precision Machining, we understand the value of trust and invest in building long-term relationships with our clients. With trust established, we can work collaboratively, sharing insights and innovations that drive mutual success.

Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is a critical aspect of a consolidated supply base. Suppliers like Cass can provide valuable input during the design phase to optimize the manufacturability of components. Our expertise ensures that designs are not only functional but also efficient to produce, reducing costs and lead times.
The benefits of consolidating a supply base in manufacturing are significant and wide-reaching. A strategic supplier needs to excel in quality, service, reliability, agility, trust, and DFM. A commitment to excellence and a partnership mentality make them a valuable asset in today’s competitive manufacturing landscape. If you’re looking to streamline your supply chain, enhance quality, and drive efficiency, consider the value of consolidating your supply base with a trusted partner like Cass. Give us a call to learn more about our capabilities and how we can help contribute to your manufacturing success.

Let’s Talk

Cass Insider October 23, 2023 News & Updates

Cass Precision Machining’s Value-Added Services Elevate Customer Partnerships

In manufacturing, where innovation is paramount, and quality is non-negotiable, Cass Precision Machining is proud of its ability to provide a true partnership with our customers. As a partner you can depend on, Cass provides a collaborative force that amplifies success through our value-added services, nurturing a relationship that transcends conventional supplier-client dynamics.

Partnering for Success

At Cass, the essence of our value-added services lies in the art of partnership. We firmly believe that true innovation stems from seamless collaboration. At Cass, the ethos of partnership resonates deeply. It’s not just about producing parts; it’s about collaborating with customers to bring their visions to fruition. With a commitment to understanding the unique needs of each client, Cass engages in a symbiotic relationship, aligning our expertise with customer goals. This partnership mindset is the driving force behind Cass’s ability to deliver exceptional results consistently.

Design for Manufacturing (DFM) Expertise

At Cass, we understand that exceptional manufacturing starts long before the machines whir to life. In the realm of manufacturing, design is the cornerstone of success. We bring our comprehensive understanding of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles to the table. By engaging with customers at the earliest stages of product development, Cass ensures that designs are optimized for manufacturability, leading to efficient production processes and reduced costs. Our DFM resources are available to help clients review and optimize the total costs of your parts. Changes happen, but you can be confident that Cass will support your needs and minimize the hassles. We can ensure that changes in your part design or delivery requirements are quickly deployed into manufacturing so you don’t skip a beat. A harmonious blend of aesthetics and engineering ensures that each concept receives a seamless transition from design board to production line.

Creative Forecasting and Inventory Management

Forecasting is an art that defines the rhythm of supply chains. Forecasting and inventory management can go a long way toward making or breaking a business in an era of rapid changes and shifting demands. Cass becomes a strategic ally, allowing clients to clearly envision demand patterns. Taking a proactive stance empowers customers to navigate market fluctuations with poise, ensuring that the ebb and flow of production remain in harmony. We provide insights and strategies that enable customers to forecast parts effectively and manage inventory efficiently. This foresight not only enhances operational agility but also elevates bottom-line performance. Cass boasts a large warehouse where we are able to provide inventory release management programs, which improves the production flow of client’s lines while allowing us to run optimized quantities under blanket orders for both custom and industrial manufacturing.

The Power of Partnership

“Partnering” isn’t just a buzzword at Cass; it’s a way of doing business. Our engineering experts are more than just advisors; they dissect challenges, engineer solutions, and refine processes with clients. This hands-on approach transforms relationships into collaborations where ideas flourish.

Whether it’s optimizing designs, fine-tuning manufacturing processes, or assisting in strategic inventory decisions, Cass’s engineers stand as true collaborators in every sense of the word. We want you to think of Cass Precision Machining as more than just a supplier. Cass is an ally with an unwavering commitment to partnership, a mastery of DFM, and a knack for fostering creative forecasting and inventory management.

Cass Insider September 11, 2023 News & Updates

Manufacturing Adjusting to Post COVID Reality

While no one in manufacturing would say that workflows have “returned to normal” in the post-COVID world, many agree that a “new normal” has taken hold heading toward the end of 2022. At Cass Precision Machining we’ve settled into our new normal as far as our workflow and our customers go. Several changes have emerged post pandemic across manufacturing as the fog has lifted and the new normal takes hold. Here are some of the changes we are seeing at Cass.

Customers are very focused on managing performance of their partners by providing key metrics on scorecards.

At Cass we receive metrics on a monthly basis with two main categories – OTD (on-time delivery) and PPM (parts per million). Essentially, these metrics track quality measurements and delivery time over periods of time to highlight trends. These metrics are very important to Cass. Even though we have our own internal metrics on quality and delivery it is very important to align with our customers to ensure accuracy and highlight opportunities. Partnering on metrics helps both Cass and its customers find success.

Manufacturing Scorecards

Today, businesses measure their success based on several key performance indicators (KPIs). A scorecard is an enterprise tool for the evaluation and communication of strategic objectives and these KPIs. The Manufacturing Scorecard implements the SCOR (Supply Chain Operations Reference) model within the Scorecard framework, and enables you to effectively monitor, analyze, and respond to those measures that characterize your manufacturing supply chain performance.

Manufacturing Scorecard enables the alignment of day-to-day management decisions with the overall corporate strategy by combining best practice key performance indicators to monitor and respond to performance changes in real time. The manufacturing Scorecard comprises the following metrics – measures defined by SCOR, supplier metrics, and customer metrics.

During the pandemic many manufacturing businesses struggled to keep up with demand. This led to some suppliers being unable to meet deadlines, which can have a serious impact on production schedules. To help manage this problem, some companies are using scorecards to track supplier performance.

Scorecards can be used to track a variety of supplier performance metrics, but on-time delivery is one of the most important for manufacturers. This metric lets companies know if their suppliers are meeting deadlines and helps them identify any potential problems.

There are a few different ways to score on-time delivery. One common method is to give each supplier a score based on the percentage of orders that they deliver on time. Another option is to give suppliers a point for each order that they deliver on time and deduct points for each order that is late.

As the world enters a new era of global trade, post-COVID, manufacturers are looking for ways to secure their supply chains and ensure they are getting the best quality products possible. One way to do this is by score carding suppliers on their parts per million (PPM).

What is PPM?

Parts per million (PPM) is a unit of measurement that indicates how many defects there are in a given product or manufacturing process. It is typically used to compare the relative quality of different suppliers or vendors.

PPM is important because it can help identify potential problem areas in the manufacturing process and help improve quality control. Additionally, score carding suppliers on their PPM can help encourage them to continually improve their quality.

There are several benefits to providing metrics to suppliers on their PPM, including:

improved quality control
identification of potential problem areas
encouragement of supplier quality improvement
increased transparency in the supply chain
ability to compare different suppliers’ relative quality levels

Manufacturing scorecarding suppliers post COVID on parts per million is a great way to improve your manufacturing process and ensure you are getting the best quality products possible. Do not hesitate to implement this quality control measure in your own business.

Customers are looking at which vendors helped them with their manufacturing needs during COVID and are determining who they want to support in the future. While “normal” workflow has returned, you can be sure that companies have set mechanisms for future pandemic type situations. The last two years illustrated just how much disruption can happen to primary businesses, with the brunt of the impact felt by supply chain and logistics.

Supply Chain Disruption

The pandemic has also had a significant impact on manufacturing supply chains. In many cases, factories have had to find new suppliers or source materials from different parts of the world to keep production going. This has often meant making significant changes to the way that factories operate.

Anyone in manufacturing was forced to learn to have patience with the ongoing fluctuations in supply and demand. Companies learned how important it was to be agile in terms of production needs. Many businesses have adjusted by building a better onshore supply chain. Local sources are being added to the supply chain to supplement offshore production as a type of insurance policy against unexpected supply chain disruptions. The last two years have illustrated how much sense it makes to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also had a significant impact on manufacturing supply chains. In many cases, factories have had to find new suppliers or source materials from different parts of the world in order to keep production going. This has often meant making significant changes to the way that factories operate.

While Cass has gotten back to business development, we are more aware than ever of the importance of employee safety and employee health. Many of our pandemic protocols are still in place, we keep our machines and equipment as clean as possible and hand-washing protocols remain.

The changing trade landscape necessitates a change in the approach to manufacturing in the future. Automation, skilled labor, local US manufacturing facilities, and a robust supply chain will form the bedrock for the future of manufacturing in the post-pandemic world.

Cass Insider October 28, 2022 Manufacturing, News & Updates

Manufacturing Looks Brighter in 2022, But Challenges Persist

Manufacturing Looks Brighter in 2022 But Challenges Persist. Volatile market conditions have created significant challenges for the manufacturing industry since the pandemic began. Manufacturers have been forced to reexamine nearly every step of their process and look for ways to improve efficiency with their data, resources, and workforce.

The last two years brought some unique challenges to manufacturers including rising costs, supply chain issues, and material shortages. Most manufacturers have been forced to implement changes in order to meet these challenges, including acquiring new talent, adding capabilities, and diversifying product portfolios to act as a foundation for growth.

Since the pandemic began, manufacturers have had to deal with the very real challenge of a lack of resources – both supplies and actual workforce. Cass Precision Machining has worked to remain agile and has taken action to be resilient in the short term to set up future success. Future success in manufacturing depends on deriving actionable insights from the last two years to improve decision making and to drive value.

Here is how Cass has responded to some of the questions brought on by the two-year pandemic.

What have been the biggest changes at Cass over the last year and a half, due to the pandemic and all of its ramifications?

Cass has always been known for its outstanding customer service. For more than 75 years, serving our customers has been the fuel driving our company. In the past 18 months, our customers have asked us to do even more on their behalf. We have redoubled our efforts aimed at taking the best care possible of our entire customer base. This has caused us to rethink old standards in how we do business. We’ve implemented new tracking tools, become better at smaller lot sizes, and have enhanced how we work with our outside processing partners—all in the name of taking even better care of our customers.

As the country recovers from COVID-19, what new things will Cass implement to better support customers?

We are improving our internal systems to ensure responsiveness and drive the best possible value for our customers. We are focused on reducing lead time, improving our quality management and execution systems, and ensuring we have the best-trained workforce in the industry.

There is a lot of talk of manufacturers needing to diversify their supply chain. What does that entail for Cass Precision Machining?

Cass’s broad range of capabilities and experience uniquely enables us to provide services nobody else can. We can offer a variety of manufacturing solutions aimed at helping our customers reduce risk within their supply chains. We can accommodate service or preproduction parts and can scale up volume better than anyone to provide the best total cost of ownership for our customers. In terms of our own suppliers, we have expanded our supplier base and developed new partnerships aimed at reducing risk and opening more channels.

What changes have been implemented to ease disruptions to the supply chain?

Cass has been working hard to procure material in advance of customer needs, enhance partnerships with leading suppliers, and partner with customers in long term agreements to ensure reliable supply.

Is localizing the supply chain a legitimate pursuit?

A localized supply chain has always been a good idea—there’s no better way to ensure timely delivery at the highest quality than dealing with local partners who truly care about your business. The need for localization has only been emphasized in the past two years due to world events.

Is Cass continuing to digitize its supply chain? Will that make a big difference when further disruptions arise?

Cass has fully implemented its ERP solution and is now looking forward to working with suppliers to fully integrate them into the system. We will always strive for the human touch and meaningful relationships, and we believe a digital future supporting those values is key to success.

How long will it take for the supply chain to return to “normal”? Or will it ever?

We anticipate that shipping delays and supply shortages will begin to ease in late 2022 and into 2023, but underlying impacts mean the future will not look much like the past. There will be more emphasis on transparency in the supply chain, reliable local supply, and long-term partnerships that will benefit everyone involved.

What’s next for Cass Precision Machining in 2022?

As we continue to grow and serve our customers better, we believe that we are in a unique position to attract more top-level talent. We will also continue to make significant investment in automation and training to enable even more consistency and reliability.

The realities of the pandemic combined with existing trends in the manufacturing landscape means that companies must be more efficient and nimbler than ever in addressing the skills gap and labor shortages. With demand for manufactured goods always on the uptick, Cass continues a top-to-bottom evaluation of all processes, identifying ways to increase efficiency and to continue to support our customer base in any way we can.

Cass Insider May 3, 2022 Manufacturing, News & Updates, Uncategorized

Cass announces James Larson as new President

Cass Precision Machining is Proud to Announce James Larson as Its New President!

Cass is proud to announce that it has named James Larson as its new President. James is an experienced business leader who has been optimizing the customer experience, driving operational excellence, and developing new products for more than 30 years. Larson’s work history spans manufacturing, supply chain, product launches, and sales in a variety of global and domestic businesses.

As a business executive, Larson has a history of optimizing operations, customer experience and profitability. With a reputation for seeing the big picture and being the go-to person to put a strategy into action rapidly and efficiently, while maintaining focus on taking care of customers and team members.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join a team with such a long history of success and a sterling reputation in the industry that Cass has,” said Larson. “We look to move forward with a focus on sustainable improvement and scaling for growth with a high-trust and winning culture that achieves both quick wins and long-term results.”

At Cass Precision Machining, we pride ourselves on our efficiency and our dedication to customer service. Contact us at Cass Precision Machining.

Cass Insider February 26, 2022 News & Updates

Assessing Supply Chain Shortages in 2022

China’s Battle with Decarbonization Poses Business Risks

In Assessing Supply Chain Shortages in 2022, Climate Change is a major factor in the equation. In August UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the report released by the UN’s Panel on Climate Change, “A code red for humanity.” The report says that humans are unequivocally warming the planet and the results will be more heat waves, droughts, flooding, and hurricanes. The impact of all of that on global businesses is infinite and its ripples will impact business commerce across the globe.

In a much-anticipated announcement at the United Nations General Assembly in September, China President Xi Jinping stated that his country would peak carbon emissions by 2030 and aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Regardless of ongoing trade tension between the two countries, meetings between the countries in the spring positively affirmed U.S. and Chinese cooperation in bolstering the implementation of the Paris Agreement and underscored the importance of ambitious climate action by the world’s largest greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters.

Supply Chain Challenges

For thousands of U.S. companies that have supply chains or operations in China, particularly companies that have not yet developed sufficiently rigorous greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, the Chinese national response to climate change represents complicated new opportunities and challenges.

Since Xi’s announcement was made, multiple industries and municipal and regional governments have begun increasing action related to decarbonization. These actions, along with past precedents in pollution control in China, provide guidance for how companies might consider preparing for business risks and disruption related to China’s quest for decarbonization.

As the number and scope of binding regulations for reducing carbon emissions increase in the coming months and years, it remains essential for companies with supply chains or operations in China to stay abreast of emerging business risks driven by the country’s timelines for emission reductions.

According to an August article in GreenBiz, emerging business risks and opportunities will include:

Sourcing (through the need to qualify lower-carbon raw materials)
Process (upgrading production processes and equipment)
Emission controls (carbon emission reductions and capture)
Reporting requirements, both to regulators and to the finance sector
Access to capital, particularly domestic Chinese capital
Adverse reputational impact in China arising from ineffective or incomplete response to Chinese requirements
Industrial structure adjustments including replacing industrial processes and equipment and the elimination of outdated industries; and economic adjustments, such as a carbon tax

Shipping Problems

Just last week, Reuters posed the following question: What happens when the market of last resort, the London Metal Exchange (LME), runs out of metal? The 144-year-old exchange, which sets benchmark prices for the global industrial metal markets, has always prided itself on its role as ultimate buyer and ultimate seller of physical metal.

Total registered LME inventory has fallen by almost 600,000 metric tons since the start of the year. Stocks of all metals stand at 1.469 million metric tons, the lowest since 2008. The strength of the post-COVID manufacturing recovery, first in China and now in the rest of the world, has impacted not just aluminium but all of the LME metals to varying extents.

Supply-chains, by contrast, are stressed by continued disruption in the global shipping sector, where container rates remain high and many ports, particularly U.S. ones, log-jammed.

How To Decarbonize?

The world needs more aluminum to go green. But the smelters that produce aluminum use huge amounts of power and account for around 2% of all man-made emissions each year. Squaring that carbon circle is not going to be easy for China or the global market.

Welcome to aluminum’s decarbonization paradox.

Aluminum market rallies during the year were rooted in China’s own supply-chain tensions. Output curbs following energy restrictions are proliferating as provinces scramble to meet mandated energy efficiency targets.

The 10 aluminium producers participating in the CNIA (China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association) meeting committed to “continue to ensure supply and stabilize market expectations”. Only, however, if their power-hungry smelters have sufficient supplies of electricity. Aluminium is produced by electrolysis not by blasting it in a furnace. No power, no aluminium. And power in China is becoming a problem.

Aluminium curtailments earlier this year in Inner Mongolia were modest but a sign of things to come as the coal-dependent province tried to meet new quarterly dual-control targets for energy usage and efficiency. The province of Guangxi, another laggard in the energy league, last month ordered smelters to reduce run-rates to preserve power over peak demand periods.

Since China is by far the world’s largest producer of aluminum, both at a raw metal and semi-manufactured product level, this collective powering-down places a big question-mark over global supply. A market that has lived with Chinese over-supply for two decades is starting to price in a very different future. The country remains a large exporter of aluminum in the form of semi-manufactured products, which is starting to look anomalous as the huger for commodity-grade metal grows.

According to Reuters, stresses on China’s power system have turned the world’s largest supplier of aluminum into a regular net importer of primary metal. China’s problem today could be the rest of the world’s problem tomorrow. Estimates that the world will need another 25 million metric tons of primary metal production to meet an expected 80% rise in demand by 2050, fueled by the demands of decarbonization. Building that capacity while simultaneously “greening” existing capacity in a world that needs ever more renewable power is the conundrum facing the global aluminum industry.

Cass Insider December 3, 2021 News & Updates, Uncategorized

How to Find Manufacturing Success During the Post-Covid Supply Crunch

As the global economy slowly recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide supply crunch is intensifying, spreading from one country to another and from one industry to another.

Breaking Down the Supply Crunch

When the pandemic spread in the spring of 2020, there was a lot of panic buying by consumers who were led to believe there would be shortages in things like toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. Fast forward 15 months, and it’s companies that are stockpiling, buying more raw materials than they need in an attempt to keep up with rapidly recovering demand. This panic buying is causing a shortage in raw materials, including copper, iron ore, steel, wood, semiconductors, plastics, cardboard, etc. As a result, there is a “supply crunch” in nearly every industry, with inventories of seemingly every raw material around the world running low.

What The Experts Are Saying

Economists and business executives say those supply-chain disruptions, key labor shortages, and resurgent demand will persist through the end of 2021, if not longer.

“Supply shortages are affecting almost every industry,” said Michael Pearce, Senior U.S. Economist at Capital Economics. “What started out as a shortage of semiconductors affecting mostly the auto industry is now a shortage of basically everything, including lumber, metals, and plastics.”

According to Reuters, “U.S. factory activity gathered speed in early May amid strong domestic demand, but backlogs of uncompleted work are piling up as manufacturers struggle to find raw materials and labor, boosting costs for both businesses and consumers.”

Suffice to say that with all of the raw material and supply shortages in North America, it is hardly “business as usual” in manufacturing. According to the Wall Street Journal, the squeeze on U.S. businesses shows little sign of letting up, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

“It turns out it’s a heck of a lot easier to create demand than it is to—you know, to bring supply back up to snuff, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said in June. So what we know is that there are global supply shortages that are impacting manufacturing and that the supply crunch will have medium- and long-term impacts.

Work With Your Manufacturer

Yes, the pipelines are seeing logjams; there’s no way around that. Understanding that issue, smart businesses will work with their manufacturing partners to make the best of their situation.

Maintain Regular Communication—nobody likes surprises, especially when they negatively impact their workflow. More communication with your supplier helps to limit surprises. Remember that everyone is facing a supply crunch. The more your supplier knows exactly what you’re looking for and you understand their capabilities, the less you’ll be hit with surprises. This doesn’t exactly mean that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Your supplier loves having your business, but they don’t want to hear from you 20 times a day. Be respectful of their situation—remember that your supplier is getting dozens of emails and phone calls every day. Be concise, don’t send a 15-paragraph email when five sentences will do. If your orders are consistent, it’s easier for your supplier to manage your supply.
Collaboration and Preparation—Try to establish weekly or bi-weekly meetings to troubleshoot the problems you face because of the supply chain crunch. Be as resourceful as possible and always be respectful of your supplier. Tight collaboration enables organizations to better avoid risks, identify problems early and resolve issues quickly. Many companies, for example, proactively alert suppliers immediately when demand and production changes are likely.
Maintain Flexibility—The pandemic crunch is very real when it comes to the supply chain. Companies having success are learning to become innovative, developing recovery plans, and looking at possible workarounds in terms of substituting materials (if and when it makes sense). Supply chain and procurement teams have been faced with a delicate but decisive balancing act. They must plot a route through the immediate and future challenges that draw on meaningful insight based on high-quality data. This will enable them to build flexibility into their cost base and transform costs – rather than simply cut them – to come back fighting when the time is right. Those who have already started to invest in new technologies to drive insight and action in the supply chain have a head start over the competition.

Maintain regular communication with your supplier so that it’s not a surprise to either side when changes in orders occur. Collaborate with your dealer and troubleshoot problems caused by the supply crunch before they can have a big impact. Recovery plans and workarounds are crucial to keeping your workflow flexible and agile.

Cass Insider August 4, 2021 News & Updates

Cass Has Machining Job Openings–Operators and Machinists Wanted

Are you feeling underappreciated and under-stimulated at your current job? Were your hours cut, or did you lose pay because of the pandemic? If so, we have good news for you, as Cass Precision Machining has machining job openings, with both operators and machinists wanted. Cass can be the great change in careers you’re looking for–offering premium shifts with full-time and part-time positions!

The following are the most important attributes people look for in any workplace:

That the job is stimulating and challenging
The ability to learn new things and develop your skillset
That you’re able to achieve measurable results
That as an employee, you feel valued and a core part of the team
That you have opportunities to grow and progress within the company
That you are a part of a positive culture where contributions are appreciated

At Cass Precision Machining, we can confidently and proudly say that we knock all six of those attributes out of the ballpark. Lester E. Cass started Cass Precision Machining in 1945 as a family business, and to this day, our staff remains one big family. The leaders at Cass know that our machining tools would be useless without the people who run them. We believe in investing heavily in our staff and treating them like family, which results in low turnover, longevity, and high productivity. We are thrilled to employ workers who take pride in our company, who are invested in the products they are making and in who they are making them for.

We don’t lose sight of the big picture at Cass—our first mission is to provide good livelihoods to our employees and their families.

Currently, at Cass Precision Machining, we have machining job openings for precision machinists and operators of CNC, Swiss, lathes, mills, multi-spindle machines, and grinders for second shifts, full-time (4×10 shifts).

We know that COVID-19 and the pandemic pushed many people out of work and made many people reconsider where they wanted their future employment to be. Cass Precision Machining provides competitive pay with great beneﬁts and a culture of training, development, and advancement opportunities. We are fast-paced and fun. We have a great family culture.

Benefits of Working at Cass

Market-competitive pay
Competitive premiums for health insurance
FREE dental insurance
401k contribution of 3%
Free prescription safety glasses
Partial work boot reimbursement
Referral bonuses
Company-paid life insurance
$100 refund for annual physical
Accrue two weeks of paid time off (PTO), earning more as years of service increase
Eligible for an all-employee year-end bonus
Military Leave Policy
Bereavement Leave Policy
Tuition Reimbursement

If you’re looking for a place to work that values you as a person first and foremost and that offers you control of your work-advancement destiny, Cass might be the place for you. Working at Cass isn’t just a job; it’s a career.

Please check out our careers page to see what positions we currently have open.

Cass Insider July 15, 2021 News & Updates

Understanding Industrial Manufacturing | Cass Precision Machining

The industrial manufacturing industry is responsible for the fabrication of products intended for industrial use from raw materials. When asking the question, “what is industrial manufacturing?” one has to look at the output itself (the products produced) which ranges from large machinery like bulldozers and cranes to smaller products such as wheelchairs and circuit boards. No matter what type of machinery is used, industrial manufacturing is crucial in producing many of the goods and services vital to any economy in a cost-efficient and timely manner.

Equipment Segments Produced

Equipment used in industrial manufacturing can be grouped into seven different segments. Agricultural, construction, and mining machinery; industrial machinery; commercial and service machinery are all special-purpose machinery designed for a specific industry. The four other segments include machinery used by all sectors: ventilation, heating and cooling equipment, metalworking equipment, engine-related equipment, and other general-purpose machinery.

How do companies separate themselves when it comes to industrial manufacturing? In one word: efficiency. The more efficiently a company can produce a product, the more products it can make at a lower cost, which results in higher profit margins. A major trend in this industry is using increasingly high-tech production techniques. Firms are introducing more technology in response to pressure from both domestic and foreign competitors. Robotics, computers, and programmable equipment are common, resulting in increased productivity with more efficiency and a decreased need for labor.

What’s the Difference Between Industrial Manufacturing and Custom Manufacturing?

The manufacturing industry is made up of two core branches—industrial and custom manufacturing. While there are some similarities between the two, each one has its different processes and priorities. As a result, the role their ERP (enterprise resource planning) platforms play within the organizations is naturally different.

In industrial manufacturing, products are configured to order. Customers can order a stock product, and while they have the flexibility to alter certain features of the order, they are still limited to a catalog of pre-designed products. In custom manufacturing, unique products are designed or engineered to order. Custom manufacturers place a premium on ERP systems that bring flexibility and agility. Industrial manufacturers, on the other hand, covet operational efficiency. Unlike in custom manufacturing, where every product is different, industrial manufacturers benefit from predictability and repetition throughout the process.

Pandemic Recovery

Like nearly every walk of life, industrial manufacturing was severely impacted by COVID-19. The pandemic posed sudden and drastic challenges as demand for products fell while others increased, and geopolitical trade conditions severely disrupted access to markets, distribution channels, and suppliers. The speed of recovery for industrial manufacturing is highly dependent on the rate of recovery for supply and demand. While customer orders soared for many companies the backlog of material availability has continued and costs have risen.

Companies in this industry will need to utilize key market data to inform long-term strategic decisions based on shifts in demand and their own downstream impacts. Creativity, collaboration and communication will be key to the success of many industrial manufactures.

Do you want to learn more about how Cass can help with your industrial manufacturing needs? Check out our full list of capabilities here, and our list of industries served here.

Cass Insider July 8, 2021 Manifacture, News & Updates, Technology

Cass Delivering Prototype Machined Parts

In 2020 Cass Precision Machining launched C-RPM (Cass Rapid Proto Machining), a new service that supports Cass customers with build-to-print rapid prototyping parts. The response from customers has been exceptional and Cass has now produced over 30 prototype parts.

The goal of C-RPM is to supply customers with machining expertise and design for manufacturing engineering consulting to deliver the finished part they desire.

The expert C-RPM team at Cass offers quick-turn responses in each prototyping phase:

Feasibility Review
Small-quantity fitment builds
Refining of prototype
Concept/pre-production demonstration runs
Full production runs

The goal of the C-RPM team is to supply customers with a “complete” part based on the customer’s print that can then be easily turned into production parts. Cass provides C-RPM material consulting, machining expertise, and coordinated services to deliver the finished parts customers are looking for. Your C-RPM team is ready to provide rapid responses to your prototype parts needs with part size ranges from up to eight inches in diameter to 26 inches in overall length.

“Opening our C-RPM service adds another key step in Cass’s evolution of providing a broader range of solutions for our customers,” said Jim Garvin, Cass’s President. “This new business unit adds another facet to supporting clients’ supply chain needs over the full life cycle of their parts.”

The C-RPM cell can handle a wide range of materials, including alloys, carbon, stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, brass, bronze, machinable plastics, and more. CNC milling and complex turning capability are the cornerstones of the C-RPM unit.

Finishing services include anodizing, heat treating, plating, shot peening, custom packaging, light assembly, and more.

“At Cass, we’re proud of our long tradition of listening to our customers and taking the appropriate actions as a reliable partner that our clients can trust,” said Garvin. “Cass-Rapid Proto Machining lines up with the growing needs of clients and enables us to support more creative design solutions.”

Cass Precision Machining has made a concerted effort to ramp up our C-RPM initiatives by investing in two machines that help us turn out quality parts in a timely fashion.

The Tsugami M08SY Turning Center with Y-axis allows Cass to perform highly complex machining, such as turning, drilling, boring, cross-drilling, and CNC milling. The main and sub-spindle are equipped with integral built-in spindle motors, which minimize vibration and provide superior accel/decel for heavy-duty cutting and fine finishing.

The Doosan 5700 Mill is part of a series that offers larger cutting space by 6%, bigger table sizes by 14%, and heavier loads by 25% while maintaining the same overall footprint as the previous generation. The new DNM series features direct-coupled, thru-coolant type spindles as standard, providing 8,000 rpm (15/11 kW) and 12,000 rpm (18.5/11 kW). Vibration and noise are greatly reduced during high-speed operations, and thermal displacement is also improved. The direct-drive spindles also contribute to faster accel/decel rates, and tool change times have also been optimized to reduce non-cutting time.

Send our C-RPM team your prints, or we can discuss your design ideas online. Our prototype team can handle a wide range of materials as mentioned above—challenge us with your material requirements!

C-RPM Machining—CNC Milling and Live Tool Lathe machines are the cornerstones of the cell.

The finishing services Cass customers have come to expect lead to the rapid delivery of prototype parts that boost your production line.

Cass Insider May 24, 2021 3D Printing, Manifacture, News & Updates