Optimas Solutions, a global industrial manufacturer/distributor and service provider, has re-engineered its manufacturing capabilities at its main facility near Chicago to offer a full suite of fastener manufacturing services direct to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) in North America. By adding manufacturing services to its array of supply chain services for OEMs, Optimas becomes the only fastener supplier in North America to offer a full breadth of manufacturing and distribution solutions to support OEMs.
As part of its ‘Manufacturing Solutions' strategy announced in August, Optimas has established a dedicated operational group based out of its facility in Wood Dale, IL, to directly serve OEM customers with its advanced manufacturing solutions for fastener products.
“We’ve invested $10 million in our onshore manufacturing operations since 2012. That has allowed us to offer the most advanced and fastest production capabilities in the industry to meet today’s complex part requirements from OEMs here in North America,” said Marc Strandquist, CEO of Optimus Solutions. “As an ISO 14001/9001 and IAFT 16949 certified fastener manufacturer, we can efficiently address the needs of OEMs for rapid prototyping, full-scale production, high-demand production and specialized licensed and engineered offerings better than any of our competitors. Few in the industry offer the breadth of supply chain capabilities we do to OEMs which puts us in a class of our own.”
As a leading fastener manufacturer and distributor, Optimas has built upon existing capabilities to deliver the custom manufacturing solutions that OEMs require by offering:
- Cold forming capabilities (larger and existing small diameter of M2-M22)
- Rapid prototyping with 3D printing capabilities
- 11 licensed offerings such as Mortorq®Super, FASTENlite™, Hi Torque®, MAThread®, MATpoint®, Phillips Square-Driv® ACR, PLASTITE®, POWERLOK®, TAPTITE 2000®, TAPTITE Pro®, and REMFORM®
- Application and manufacturing engineered services (engineered offerings for custom product production)
- Specialty focus on vertical industries that these capabilities and services best address – including agriculture, automotive, heavy truck, recreational vehicles, furniture/appliance, and medical equipment
Optimas offers OEMs greater confidence in its ability to deliver the rapid prototyping, full-scale production, and support for high-demand manufacturing periods necessary to regionalize production. The company has strengthened its in-house engineering, tooling, cold forming capabilities, licensed offerings, and quality labs to provide a competitive range of production options.
Strandquist outlined a number of assets that support its Manufacturing Solutions strategy for OEMs, including:
- ISO 14001/9001 and IAFT 16949 certifications to ensure staff, processes and technology are current with the latest manufacturing and sustainability protocols.
- State-of-the-art facility and equipment to deliver engineered fasteners and cold form components for the most complex OEMs, including 139,900 square feet of manufacturing and distribution space and 106 dedicated machines ranging from single-die to six-blow stations.
- Highly skilled tool and die makers in-house with immediate access to engineers and machine operators to help improve quality and reduce lead time and cost.
- Decades-old relationships, all within a few-mile radius of the Wood Dale, Illinois manufacturing facility offers endless choices for secondary material processing and finishes—and make complex part manufacturing easier.
- More than 60 years of continuous improvement and investment offer deep knowledge and experience to tackle engineered fastener needs.
- Eight pillars of support of Optimas’ Zero-Defect Culture, including AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group) Core Tools, comprising PFMEA (Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis), Control Plan, MSA (Measurement System Analysis, PPAP and Run at Rate).
- Pass through characteristics are taken into consideration through Optimas APQP (Advanced Product Quality Planning) process to ensure effective risk mitigation through the product lifecycle.
“We are laying out a foundationally solid plan that includes investing in people, processes, technologies and organizational alignment to accelerate our ability to deliver manufacturing and engineering services to OEM customers,” said Strandquist, “While we are a best in class cold forming service provider, the strategic goal is to further transform Optimas manufacturing into an onshore manufacturing resource for North American OEMs.”