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NuTOOL Engineering, Inc.
NuTOOL is a full service tool and die operation. Milling, turning,
Where it all began. NuTOOL Engineering Inc., formerly BAK Engineering. BAK was established in 1988 by Bernie and Pat Kellstein. The focus of the business was making replacement tooling for the wiring harness industry. Bernie has worked in several major wiring harness companies as a tool and die maker and design engineer, with thirty plus years of experience. The company was originally located in Sarasota in a 1200 square foot facility which was expanded to 2500 square feet. Business continued to increase and BAK soon outgrew the 2500 square foot facility and moved to Venice, FL into a 5,000 square foot facility in 1998. The business continued to grow at a rapid pace and included the purchase of a HAAS CNC Milling machine for larger volume orders.
The company was purchased by Larry and Barbara Manning in April of 2000. The name was then changed to NuTOOL Engineering to reflect the type of work that is done by the company. Larry's thirty years of experience includes Plant Management of similar job shops. His career has also included a position as Manufacturing Manager for a major EDM machine building company, as well as Manufacturing Engineering & Marketing for a major manufacturer of Packaging Equipment in Sarasota, FL. He also has a BA degree in business management.
The primary focus of the company has not changed, although the addition of the CNC Milling machine added production job shop work to the company's capabilities. The company now has customers who are not associated with the Wire Harness Industry as well. The experience of working in Tool & Die with tight tolerances has brought many unique projects to the job shop side of the business. Both aspects of the business have grown considerably.
What's New with NuTOOL Engineering, Inc. As BAK Engineering continued to grow, the pressures of getting out production and managing the growth of the business became too much for a small operation. The addition of new management people and Tool & Die makers has helped the company focus on the primary objective of producing quality replacement parts when customers need them.
The company now has AutoCad 2000 design capabilities to insure accuracy of drawings and quality tooling. Customer's tooling drawings are archived in a database for future reference when replacement parts are needed.
The company can now be contacted via the Internet for messages or to send AutoCad drawings at nutool@mindspring.com
What sets NuTOOL apart from competitors ? The Wire Harness Industry is similar to other industries dominated by large corporations. Their primary focus is the manufacturing and sales of presses or other types of machinery, or marketing of terminals and wire. They often lose sight of the importance of after market sales and customer support. This creates unhappy customers who are willing to look elsewhere for reasonable prices and acceptable delivery schedules. The result is that smaller companies are formed to handle this demand.
Creativity is often discouraged in large corporations by too much reliance upon formal procedures that have been used for many years. Making something "the way we've always made it" can duplicate defects or adds cost unnecessarily.
Smaller companies are more flexible and willing to look for ways to improve a process or a part. At NuTOOL Engineering the entire process is completed in-house from sawing of raw material, rough machining, heat treating and final machining. Special materials are often used and heat treated to our standards for improved tool life. The owners of NuTOOL Engineering, Inc. were not willing to divulge their trade secrets to producing tooling with longer life, but will say that they have unique methods that are not used by other tooling vendors.
Tooling can be reproduced from a drawing or a sample part. They then incorporate improvements to extend tool life, so it is better than tooling offered from the O.E.M. or other vendors. The list of parts that NuTOOL has in stock or can reproduce is not limited to crimp tooling. Replacement components such as feed fingers, strippers, back stops, rails, etc., are available for many types of applicators as well. Since a smaller company has less overhead, not only do their customers receive extended tool life, but lower prices and faster delivery as well.
What about QUALITY ? Since replacement tooling is their "primary business," there are very few parts returned for repair. Typically, parts are custom made in small lots when ordered, although frequently used parts are available from inventory. If there is a problem, it is settled quickly by assisting the customer in determining where the problem may have occurred to avoid future problems. A replacement is sent immediately if it is an inventory item, or as quickly as the replacement can be made.
Who are our customers ? The customer list for NuTOOL Engineering reads like a who's who in the Wire Harness Industry. It includes end users of wire harness machinery, cable companies, and some of the O.E.M.'s as well.
NuTOOL has over fifty major customers in 25 states and Canada. The list is growing daily as the word has gotten out about the reliability of the tooling produced. Customers have reported that their tooling often outperforms other tooling by a factor of one of theirs to ten of brand "X."
Ed Krisher of The JPM Company is serious about reducing their tooling costs. As part of a cost reduction program, they have selected NuTOOL Engineering as a primary alternative vendor for their tooling requirements. They have reported a cost reduction from $13,000.00 to $3,500.00 in the first six months of the program. This is due in part to a lower overall cost for the tooling, in combination with a longer tool life due to the quality of tooling provided. They have found that not only can NuTOOL provide them with a cost savings, the lead times on tooling can be reduced from 12 - 20 weeks from the O.E.M. to 4 - 6 weeks or less. Many components are kept in inventory at NuTOOL, which can help in emergency situations. This is a win/win situation for both companies.
The primary method of acquiring new customers has been advertising in Wiring Harness News and word of mouth recommendations from happy customers.
NuTOOL's customers have found that the quality of service and workmanship has not changed from the days of BAK Engineering. The methods used for manufacturing tooling are much the same as before, and will continue to be improved upon in the future. Changes that have been made have improved the level of service and have positioned the company for growth into the 21st century.
The 5,000 square foot air conditioned facility now in Venice,
Looking into the future – what's next ? NuTOOL is looking for ways to expand services to its customers. The next addition will be Wire EDM. This will reduce the amount of labor required for some operations in the manufacture of tooling, as well as add other capabilities. Wire EDM will improve manufacturing of tooling and add other capabilities.
The company is in a growth mode and currently looking to add personnel. The Florida economy is as healthy as the rest of the nation, which can make finding experienced Tool & Die people difficult. There are advantages
NuTOOL Engineering can supply tooling for all major brands of applicators.
For further information contact NuTOOL Engineering, 160 James Street, E-mail: nutool@mindspring.com |
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