Welcome
to
KENWALT
DIE CASTING COMPANY
Since 1967
Aluminum and
Zinc Die Castings
1-800-KENWALT
KenWalt
Die Casting
Company manufacturers high
quality low
cost die cast parts and die cast
products also known as
Aluminum
Die Castings, Zinc
Die
Castings, Castings, Diecastings, Aluminum Castings, Die
Casting
Aluminum, Die Cast Parts, Die Casting Zinc, Zinc Castings, Metal
Castings, Aluminum Alloy Casting, Die-Casting, Diecasting, Mold
Casting, Pressure Casting, Machine Casting, High Pressure Die Casting
and Vacuum Die Casting.
MADE IN USA or OFFSHORE
Which is Really Less Costly?
For many years manufacturing
in the U.S. was perceived as too costly, leading to an increase in companies
moving their production offshore.
Today,
hidden risks and costs such as rising labor costs,
unexpected supply chain disruptions, intellectual
property theft, product liability risks and poor quality
have prompted a growing number of U.S. companies bring
their manufacturing back to the USA.
Hidden Costs and Risks of
Offshore Suppliers
Market
Share Risk
Your product details, including your own tooling, can be
used to make and sell your products without your
knowledge. One of our customers had discovered parts
made from their tooling being sold in stores in China.
Low
Quality Product Liability Risks
The use of uncertified aluminum
and zinc die cast alloys, along with inferior knowledge
of proper die casting design for the die casting
process, by offshore die casting companies often
contributes to low quality products that can lead to a
high risk of product failures and increased liability
for your company.
Intellectual Property
and Technology Theft Risk
It's dangerous to reveal your
intellectual property and technology secrets to an
offshore supplier. Your secret technology can be stolen,
shared with your competitors or used to create a
competitor and steal your customers.
Miscommunication
Costs
There are
hidden costs due to miscommunications in the barriers of
language, culture and distance that result in loss of
time and money such as improper die design changes,
repairing tooling errors, delays, late deliveries, etc.
Overseas
Shipping/Freight
Costs
Overseas shipping costs such as tariffs and port
fees are additional costs included in your costs when
dealing with overseas die cast suppliers.
Inferior
Die Cast Tooling Steel
Low cost die cast dies made with
inferior and uncertified die steel results in premature
die failures and frequent new die cast tooling costs.
Perhaps the reason for no guarantees of tooling life.
Long
Lead Times and Delays
Long lead times and delays by
overseas die cast suppliers are common. And changing or
cancelling your order may not be possible.
Pay
Now - Get Products Later - Regardless of Quality
Advance payment requirements
are common. Pay now and wait to receive your parts.
What if the castings are bad quality or the wrong
quantity? That's too bad. Bad luck. They're yours
now.
Bringing Manufacturing
Back to the U.S.A.
The
many cost saving benefits include:
Quicker time to market for new products
Faster response time to deliver products
Better product quality
Quick
and Direct Communications with their die cast supplier
Reduced intellectual property, copyright, trademark infringement risks
including counterfeit products
Better collaboration between Research & Development and manufacturing
operations
Reduced inventory costs
Lowered operating costs
No international travel costs
Watch this
Made in America news story: Click Here
KenWalt Die Casting Company
An American Die Casting Company
Quality Aluminum and Zinc Die Castings
100% Made in USA!
Consider
Both Known and
Hidden Risks in Sourcing
It's important for companies
to consider in their company's sourcing strategy and decisions what they are
risking by shifting production overseas, including both known and hidden risks:
Will the offshore supplier be a 'true business partner'?
Communicate quickly and directly to handle your needs?
Will your intellectual property and new products be safe?
Are you risking market share with an unknown
supplier?
Do they share your company’s commitment to ethical business
standards, legal compliance, intellectual property rights protections and
anti-corruption?
Do they have the financial strength and stability to meet your
current and future requirements?
Do they have sufficient managerial talent, skilled labor and
systems to meet the needs of your company and your customers?
Will they be able to grow with your company to meet the needs of your
company and your customers?
Can they ensure and document material content and parts meet
contractual standards (e.g., aluminum
alloy specifications, precision tolerances, quality specifications, etc.)?
Will they be able to grow with your company and meet green
manufacturing and sustainability requirements?
Your company's total risk analysis should also include:
Natural Disasters Risk: An evaluation of the foreign
country and location of the supplier for potential
natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunami's, volcanoes,
hurricanes/cyclones and seasonal flooding.
Manmade and Technological Risks: These
include riots, boycotts, quality of electrical power, telephone and other
utility systems, water, sanitation, and transportation, infrastructure, proximity
to hazardous waste sites and nuclear power generation stations, etc.
Compliance Risks: Such as the consequences of
not meeting legal, tax, accounting, environmental and other regulatory
requirements, as well as compliance with associated ethical standards of
business practices.
Insurance Risks: Insurance of offshore suppliers
who may potentially suffer a loss causing a supply chain disruption and income
loss to your company.
Political Stability of Country: Consider
the country's stability such as trade policies, embargos and regulatory laws.
Economic Stability of Supplier: Risks such
as raw material dependencies and availabilities, labor disputes and worker's
right's.
Lost Opportunities: Supply chain disruptions as
well as quality problems can cause potential lost customers and orders.
Product Liability Risks: You may have no recourse to
collect damages for product liability claims, product recalls, breach of
contract or other legal suits.
Quality Risks: These risks include the costs
of resourcing or reworking parts that don't conform to
specifications, including returned parts due to product recalls.
Intellectual Property Risks: Trademark,
copyright and patent infringements, including suppliers stealing designs and
selling customer's products.
Transportation Risks: Products damaged during
shipment, port strikes, piracy, and emergency air freight costs to obtain
critical parts.
Reputation Risks: Damage to your company’s brand
and reputation and associated restoration costs, including public relations
expenses.
Marketshare Risks: By
offshore sourcing your die castings you run a very high risk of
creating a new competitor for your products. Your products can be
copied and developed using your specifications, your marketing, and
even you own tooling. Imagine parts made from your tooling being sold
in stores under a foreign company's name! And good luck trying to take
legal action in another country where betrayal and covert actions are
acceptable.
Technology Risks: Any
time you relase proprietary or secret technology to an offshore
supplier, you run the risk of finding your technology being shared with
your competitors - at home or abroad.
Miscommunications: Even
simple miscommunications can add extra costs to the process such as
casting design changes, tooling design changes, shipping instructions
and shipping costs, machining and other secondary processes. And don't
forget commonly overlooked travel time and expenses which add to part
costs. Overcoming language barriers, distance and culture can be
expensive.
Long Lead Times: Long
offshore production lead times and delays are common. If a company's
product demands increase or decrease, commitments to overseas suppliers
aren't easily changed and may not be accepted at all. Short-term
cancellations are virtually impossible.
Cheap Dies and Frequent need for New Dies: Cheap
overseas die cast molds made from sub-standard die steels, and with no
guarantees of tooling life, often fail prematurely, forcing you to pay
unnecessarily again and again for new tooling.
Legal Liability Risks: There
is a high risk of liability for any company using offshore die casters
and other overseas suppliers using uncertified aluminum or zinc alloys
that may contain dangerous amounts of lead or other toxins. Such
materials incorporated into products can lead to product failures and
product recalls and can amount to high risks and costly legal
liabilities.
Payments Due Before You See Products: Due
to advance payment requirements, you must pay for parts first before
you even get to see them and you have no right to review shipments for
quality or quantities. You must pay upfront and take what you get.
Bad Quality Castings - No Responsibility: Not
only are bad quality castings common, but you have to pay for castings
before you receive them and you tak the risks and financial
responsibility for bad quality casting supplied by offshore sources.
Click Here
for "U.S. Manufacturers Head Home"
Click Here
for "U.S. Manufacturing Making Comeback - Some
exported jobs return home amid rising costs of Chinese labor, shipping."
Click Here for "Risks of Protecting Proprietary Information in China."
Click Here
for insights into "American Manufacturing and U.S.
losing 1.9 Million Manufacturing Jobs due to the Trade Deficit
with China".
Click Here for "Hidden Costs Bring Manufacturing Back to U.S. Shores."
Click Here for "Reshoring:
Manufacturers Bring Production Back to the US."
