The 7 Most Expensive Words in Business: “That’s the Way We’ve Always Done It”
“That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Processes and routines are healthy elements of an efficient business. But machine shops that cling too tightly to “the way we’ve always done it” risk falling behind, losing their edge, and failing their customers.
Day after day, year after year, the Sweeney Metal Fabricators team works to improve and innovate by investing in our people, purchasing new equipment, implementing new processes, and introducing innovative technologies.
We’ve seen it happen to too many manufacturing businesses: they either innovate or die.
And we’re here for the long haul.
Innovation Needs Inspiration
Our customers are the catalyst behind every new purchase and process. Innovation that grows from a customer’s need or request yields positive outcomes that reach beyond the initiating customer. Every successive customer benefits from the improvements we make—and satisfied customers keep us inspired to continue innovating.
Consistently pursuing excellence is the best way to serve our customers with the highest quality at the best price and with the shortest lead times.
We keep our eyes open for new techniques and technologies. What are other cutting-edge manufacturers doing? What new automation options have hit the market? What improvements can serve our customers today and lead our machine shop into the future?
Growing into the gaps
Ongoing improvement requires us to continually look for capability gaps that we can solve by investing in a new machine, technology, or manufacturing professional. Filling these gaps ensures we can say YES to every customer’s requests and exceed their expectations with superior parts.
Smart automation
Our dedication to meeting our customers’ production requirements drives many of our automation decisions.
For example, a recent upgrade to our welding equipment was entirely inspired by a customer’s needs. And while such an upgrade has enabled us to provide the best possible service to this particular customer, it will also allow us to meet the needs of future welding customers rather than sending them to another machine shop for their complex welding jobs.
At Sweeney, what’s good for our customers is good for our company.
Workflow solutions
One of our most impactful improvements has been our transition to Paperless Parts, the software that powers our secure, online quote requests.
Implementing Paperless Parts was about more than saving time. The quoting platform provides optimal transparency, giving our customers a clear view of everything we do here in our precision metal fabrication shop.
Prior to investing in Paperless Parts, we’d used the same quoting systems for many, many years. But the lesson held true: a process that had worked well for us for over a decade was no longer the best solution. We couldn’t hold onto an old method just because it had worked in the past.
Thanks to our focus on continuous innovation, our customers now enjoy a world-class quoting experience.
Continuous Improvement Is the Only Kind of Improvement
By regularly investing in maintaining a modern machine shop, our customers benefit from:
Faster lead times
Increased capabilities
Exceptional product quality
Competitive pricing
Between Sweeney and shops that don’t prioritize improvement, the difference is clear. Poorly maintained equipment means reduced efficiency. Reduced efficiency means slower machining and lower-quality parts. The slower/lower combination keeps costs high—costs that have already increased due to supply chain challenges affecting materials sourcing and shipping.
Innovation impacts more than our shop floor or the way we approach precision metal fabrication. It allows us to serve our customers in increasingly effective, exciting ways.
And at Sweeney, that is the way we’ve always done it.
See for yourself. Request a quote today.
