Unlocking Efficiency: Acme's Just-In-Time Approach to Customer Needs
October, 2024
From engine housings for power generation to wheel hubs on four hundred-ton mining trucks, Acme Industries manufactures the components that keeps industry players on their A-game.
Since 1948, Acme Industries has set the industry-standard for excellence and precision in manufacturing and machining services. Acme specializes in machining large, complex components for the mining, aerospace, defense, transportation, and power generation industries.
They pride themselves on extensive expertise in supply chain management - ensuring that a customer’s supply chain is efficient, cost-effective, and resilient.
Acme delivers mission-critical work through just-in-time manufacturing - a production model in which items are created to meet demand.
Acme Industries’ Vice President of Sales and Marketing Bob Clifford explains, “Everything we manufacture and ship for our customers is being used on their production lines and then consumed within days or weeks. We’re not doing high-volume production, we’re shipping smaller quantity customized pieces.”
Receiving these components in a timely fashion is the fundamental expectation of what sets Acme apart. He continues, “On-time delivery is the #1 metric that our customers measure us by. If they don’t get their components by a specific date, that halts production. That is never good.
Location, location, location
One of the factors that has helped Acme earn their reputation for quality and reliability is their location - both in Elk Grove Village and the Midwest as a whole.
“In every single sales presentation, I mention that our location is in the United States’ biggest Business Park in Elk Grove Village. This allows us to go down the block to subcontract with local suppliers, leading to cost savings and a quicker turnaround,” Bob shares.
Being in the Elk Grove Village Business Park gives Acme access to a strong workforce and alliance base - everything from skilled tradesmen who run the machines to talented engineers who design the products. Almost 90% of all raw materials in the forms of forging and castings that Acme purchases come from convenient nearby Midwest suppliers.
“From a talent standpoint, this is the #1 area to be,” says Bob. “Being in the central part of the country gives us access to highways for delivery, and we’re just three miles west of O’Hare, so customers can easily come visit.”