Solid Height - Spring Manufacturers Institute

enough to offset the transportation costs of shipping
from China.”
“Right now,” says Shen, “I am working for the
Big Three to introduce Chinese suspension spring
manufacturers to them. Locally, I just do some
warehousing and coordination.”
According to Shen, the key issue is to find the
right people to coordinate for both sides. “I personally
think there are opportunities for cooperation
between North American springmakers and Chinese
springmakers,” he says. “This is especially important
for quality issues.”
Based on his experience, Shen says there is a
typical way that North American springmakers go
about sourcing in low-cost countries that leaves
them open to potential problems. “I see American
companies try to work out sourcing in China independently.
In the beginning, all is good with the
PPAPs, etc. The customer is satisfied. However, as
the months go on, shipments become later, physical
dimensions of the parts change, and so on,” he says.
“Over there, they are not always so serious about
the quality side of the business.”
“In my case,” he continues, “I send my quality
people to plants in China to check the quality. This
avoids wasting transportation costs and losing time.
18 SPRINGS July 2006
I believe that if American companies were to source
in this way, they could eliminate the problems of
sourcing in Asia all together.”
Many North American springmakers are seeing a
light at the end of the tunnel concerning the exodus
of their business to low cost countries for a number
of reasons: They have found innovative ways to capture
new markets and to take advantage of LCC
manufacturing themselves. Like Renton Spring,
they have ferreted out the markets that can’t go
to LCCs due to sensitivity of the product or safety
issues or national security issues. Like Dudek &
Bock, they are exploring the issues with eyes wide
open and finding how they can fit into the mix by,
in some cases, opening plants in LCCs, including
Mexico. And, like Chamberlain Spring, they are offering
value-added services to keep North American
manufacturing in North America.
Raquel Chole is the sales and marketing manager
for Dudek & Bock Spring Mfg . in Chicago, IL. In addition
she is a special contributor to Springs.
Previously, she was a freelance writer for 15
years, operating Ryan Publishing Service. Readers
may contact her by phone at (630) 662-8611. v