Nickles
Machine Corporation
| COMPANY/LOCATION: |
Nickles Machine Corporation, Ponca City, Oklahoma |
| PRODUCT: |
Machine shop |
| YEARS IN BUSINESS: |
76 |
| EMPLOYEES: |
70 |
| SITUATION: |
Nickles Machine had encountered a problem with the alignment of a four-axis
horizontal machining center. An unstable foundation under the machine had
caused recurring alignment problems. A new foundation had been poured and
the machine relocated, but the problems persisted. The company did not
have the tools or engineering personnel to quickly correct the problem.
After the company's operations manager read about the National Machine
Tool Partnership in a trade magazine, the company called NMTP's toll-free
number. |
| PROJECT: |
Two machine tool specialists from the Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing
Technology consulted with Nickles Machine by telephone about the problem,
then went to the company and worked on the alignment problem. |
| RESULTS: |
In two days the problem that had been plaguing Nickels for years was
corrected. Bob Nickles, operations manager, said that the results were
very good. "They took us from an almost unworkable situation to being in
really good shape. The assistance under this program saved us money,
though it is hard to quantify exactly how much. We make fairly large precision
parts and it has improved the quality of our parts. We can now rely
on the machine alignment much better than before.
"Overall, our experience with this program has been excellent. We were
very pleased with the response time. Within a day or two we were talking
by telephone and within a week they were here working. The response to
our needs has been fantastic," Nickles said. |
Technical assistances provided to the private sector by the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and its manufacturing extension
partners throughout the United States.
|
