As hosts of the monthly Purchasing Team open house for ACM (Aerospace Component Manufacturer’s Association), Sirois Tool took part in the round-table discussion on the current state of the aerospace industry. Kirk Smallidge of Aerodyne Alloys led the group’s March 17th meeting as members presented their perspective on the situation.
Workforce problems and quality-related issues appear to be driving lead time and delivery delinquency, although current pricing levels for raw materials are stable. Members also discussed the challenge they face in keeping up with the increased demands, even though they aren’t operating at their full capacity. This is the first time that material distributors reported being out of stock in specific alloys and sizes.
As manufacturers of specialty tooling and inspection gages for the aerospace industry, Sirois Tool is expanding to meet the increase in their aerospace customer’s demands.
Sirois Tool also helps their aerospace customers by manufacturing components in small lot sizes. “We back up other ACM firms by giving them offload manufacturing services in small lot sizes when they can’t meet the demand” stated Sirois Tool President, Alan Ortner.
Sirois Tool briefed the ACM Purchasing Team on fifty-years of diversified manufacturing, including quality machining capabilities of manual and CNC milling, turning, grinding and EDM for the aerospace industry. Following the meeting, ACM members took a tour of Sirois Tool’s production floor for a first-hand look at the manufacturing services available.