Proficient Sourcing exists to find suitable suppliers for buyers, engineers, and anyone else who needs outside 
manufacturing. We’ve been doing this for some time, and believe we offer a useful service which requires no obligation whatsoever. We also believe we have an unusually wide reach to find excellent sources. Here’s an example of an immediate response to a very complex set of requirements:
Recently we were approached by a company which makes equipment for others. They had a prospect in need of a near-panic quote for a prototype program. We were asked to quote 11 different items within the next 72 hours. This ASAP quote was for a specific prototype quantity, and also with an eye to a future production situation of much greater volume.
So we did. A company such as GE might have the resources to find such a wide variety of capabilities that fast, but most companies surely would have difficulty. The quotes involved the following variety of items:
- 2 cast aluminum parts. For this, we called upon partners who deal all the time with foundry work, and often source in Europe and Asia. We got quotes in 48 hours.
- A large aluminum (different alloy from those above) base with a matching plastic top. This item was nearly 3’ long, and appears to be a die casting candidate if quantities become sufficient to justify the tooling.
For this aluminum item, we got quotes for initial machining, which is outrageously expensive in small quantities, and then a conversion quote to move into die casting. The customer can then determine when to pull the plug on the expensive machining and move into the tooling required for die casting the parts.
The plastic top part is an injection molding candidate, again if justified by volume. Before that, we have a supplier ready to vacuum form the parts.
- The 2-part casing above required 2 gaskets. One, a simple die cut item which was easily sourced in virtually any quantity. The other, however, was a special item requiring expensive tooling and special manufacturing techniques not readily available. We undertook a search for a new company to work with and found an excellent source within a matter of hours. We have a vast network of resources for just such situations.
- A swiss turned and ground cylinder of Teflon, requiring extraordinary precision. For this we’ll need to confer with the customer to ensure our measurements and procedures match theirs in order for the tolerances to be realistically met.
- A gold plated nickel turned part. For this we discovered many companies do not wish to machine nickel, so our choices were limited, and took a bit of time to identify qualified candidates.
- A nickel plated brass part, also turned, but from a different supplier than the gold plated item.
- a simple aluminum “strap”, which was easily sourced.
- And the final item was a high precision 3D printed plastic part. The details are complex, and to injection mold the part might involve a piece price greater than the 3D printed part. So we have multiple 3D printing sources for large volumes in case the ultimate customer wishes to go in that direction.
Of course, we don’t yet know if this project will become a reality. Our mission was to deliver credible numbers to our customer so he could present a viable program to his customer. To accomplish this, we got quotes from 10 different suppliers, some of which are not domestic sources, and have since been able to improve the quality of the estimated costs.
The next step will be a serious sit-down with our customer and their customer, at which time we are optimistic. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, we offer the same dedicated service to any of you with a need for candidates to do your outside manufacturing. Just call us at (513) 489-5252.