Case Study: Automotive Industry
Davco Industries is proud to support the automotive industry with durable, high-quality products that solve their storage, stacking, and transportation needs. We were excited when this customer called upon us to deliver a customized solution that would make running their operation a lot easier. We also discovered that they share our mission of providing efficient, powerful, and innovative solutions across multiple product lines.
Meet the Customer
Our customer is a premier multi-billion-dollar global Tier 1 automotive parts supplier. In business for over 20 years, leading automotive brands worldwide have trusted this company to design, engineer, validate, and build driveline and metal forming technologies for their customers. Their innovative automotive systems and technologies are transforming the upcoming generation of vehicles to be more intelligent, lighter, safer, and more efficient.
Headquartered in Detroit, U.S.A, the company has approximately 20,000 employees operating at nearly 80 facilities in 17 countries. This global presence gives them the reach they need to support customers on both global and regional platforms.
The Customer’s Need
Our customer was in need of returnable shipping racks designed to fit the exact specification of their driveline parts. These racks needed to protect the driveline parts while being shipped to automotive manufacturers across North America.
Due to the part’s specific handling needs, the racks had to be designed for loading and unloading from the top. The racks also needed to feature a 2:1 collapsible ratio to cut down on return freight truckloads.
The Davco Solution
Our team had an initial meeting with the client to get to know their business, goals, and requirements. Once we understood their specific needs, Davco engineers got to work to develop blueprints and a proposal for the client’s review.
Davco engineers proposed a collapsible four-position returnable rack perfectly suited to the customer’s needs. We achieved a 2:1 collapsibility ratio to ensure the rack was as easy to use as possible. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) profiled using cutting-edge CAD technology was recommended to station and secure four driveline parts per rack. We also recommended using HDPE dunnage to allow for easier replacement in the event of the dunnage wearing out or becoming damaged over time.
The customer’s parts that needed moving were heavier, so the high-quality, North American-sourced bare carbon steel framing was engineered to suit this particular application. The Davco team focused on providing rugged, durable results to withstand the stresses of heavy industrial use and deliver long-lasting performance.
Our sales team also provided a competitive custom quote for this project and a promise for just-in-time delivery to help the customer avoid production downtime.
THE RESULTS
Using our innovative computer numerical controlled (CNC) tools, Davco fabricators created the collapsible, four-position returnable racks to the customer’s exact design specifications.
We delivered our rugged, durable fabricated metal racks to our customer’s location when promised to avoid delays to their shipping or production processes. They immediately put them to work to safely and securely ship their driveline parts to their North American automotive customers.
This project was another proud win for the entire Davco team. Not only did we exceed our customer’s expectations in terms of product quality, price, and service, but we have also created another long-term relationship that will see us supporting this customer again in the future. I’m proud of the way our team pulls together to make our customers happy, every time.