Assembly Line Evaluation

Our support doesn’t end with production launch. We will work with your assembly plants to continuously improve the value of the products and service. General Fastener’s Engineers support total assembly cost reduction through line-side efficiency evaluation and in-plant assembly evaluation.

Our Engineers can provide solutions for standardization/consolidation, redesign for ease of manufacture, fastener finish optimization, and total joint redesigns.

Contact us when you need assistance with pulling cost out of a program.

Examples of Cost Savings For Our Customers

Significant cost savings can be achieved through the help of our Engineer professionals. Whether your need is targeted, assembly plant reviews, or recommending cost effective designs, our staff adds value by lowering your total costs. Some examples include:

Transmission Tail Shaft Nuts
Commonization of Similar Parts

Estimated Savings:
$211,500 / year

Clutch Housing Fasteners
Part Reduction and Assembly Elimination

Estimated Cost Savings:
$150,000+ / year

Glass Mounting Screws
Commonization of Similar Parts

Estimated Savings:
$75,000 / year

Critical Differential Case Joint
Part Reduction & Assembly Elimination

Estimated Savings:
$50,000+ / year

Motor Assembly Screw
Re-design of thread type

Estimated Savings:
$60,800 / year

Aluminum Wire Binding Screw
Process Change for Cost Reduction

Estimated Cost Savings:
$47,000 / year

Cost Avoidance (Design):

Bolt was not effectively priced due to high rack plating costs. Part was rack plated to reduce damage to the threads, which caused installation issues. Previous barrel plate process was causing unacceptable damage.

Solution and Actions: GFC worked with the plating applicator to handle product in a barrel process with caution. We tested the joint and determined the process was robust. The newer equipment with shorter drops caused less thread damage.

Customer Cost Avoidance: $30,000

Component Savings – Slotted Nut used to hold the tie rod to the knuckle.

Engineering worked with the customer on a redesign and commonization to a current nut that they were using. By commonizing to an existing part, they were able to take advantage of larger volume, reduce complexity of the application and significant savings.

Estimated Savings: $15,000