The Basics of Contracting Automotive Machining Shops

What would you do if you needed a six (675 lb) cylinder diesel engine block made? Or perhaps a (965 lb) grey iron transmission case? How about a (10 lb) ductile iron exhaust manifold?

Would you look up “Uncle Cooter’s Garage” in some tiny Yellow Pages ad?

Or would you contract a machine shop that is equipped with sophisticated and complicated machinery to repair, design, and fabricate spare parts and molds?

Say “No” to Uncle Cooter.

Take the time to discover a machine shop that can be your single source for machining, castings and forgings. Whether purchasing castings and forgings or machining your consigned materials, an experienced machine shop is worth its weight in gold.

Here are a few things to look for when you decide to contract a automotive machining shop to meet your needs:

How many years has the machine shop been in business?

Usually, the more experience a machine shop has, the better. Machine shops with 20+ years of experience, in general, are trustworthy and established.

Is the machine shop certified?

It is important when you consider contracting a machine shop that you ask about their certifications. Machine shop certifications will range from environmental policy to compliance with all varieties of legal requirements.

Depending on your specific needs, some machine shops have specific certifications that make them a recognized expert in the machine shop field.

Do they have a proven track record for on time delivery rates?

Don’t settle for anything less than 95%-99% on-time delivery rates. Any machine shop can give you a number to indicate their delivery rates, but ask for testimonials from their clients.

What is the average lead time?

Look for a machine shop that has a wide range of machining experience and capabilities. This combined with the amount of time the machine shop has been in business is a key indicator of how much time they can save you. 

The best machine shops have quick changeovers, high speed machining, and in-house tooling design and build. If they are an established machine shop they may also have on-site warehousing capabilities.

What raw material costs are involved?

If your chosen machine shop has global sourcing capabilities for your castings and forging requirements, then your raw material costs will be reduced by as much as 10% to 20%. This adds up to big savings.

There is one machine shop that meets all of these standards. For over 29 years Veteran owned Machining Center, Inc. has been the single source for precision CNC machined products and assemblies, servicing the automotive, racing, performance, construction, off road, and energy industries.