Delivering end-to-end services to the global market
By: Mudeeha Yousaf
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East Metal engages its clients in offering complete product design, technology and end-to-end, integrated manufacturing services. As a full service contract manufacturer, East Metal delivers expertise from prototype to full production to help reduce cost, ensure reliability and quality while improving time to market. With integrated engineering services and specialized capabilities that include high precision sheet metal fabrication, CNC machining, assembly, testing and supply chain management, East Metal is able to service various dynamic industries.
40th ANNIVERSARY
Established in 1974, East Metal is celebrating its 40th anniversary. We had a chance to speak to Nep Sidhu, General Manager who has been with the company for the past 20 years, and is proud to reach such a milestone in the company’s journey. “I started when I was very young in the company, coming in as an apprentice and moving into welding while working my way through the trade. With furthering my understanding towards the trades and industry, I began programing and helping with the needs of our clients along with creating a niche for being a service oriented leader in the supply chains of our clients who now lead their markets.”
SERVICES AND MARKETS
The core competencies of design, manufacture and integration allow East Metal to service a wide range of industries, the most prominent being Medical, Defence, Aerospace and Commercial. “[With the] defense industry, because we’re ISO 9000 and AS 9001 Revision C certified, as well as being Control Goods Certified, it allows us to serve government contracts and defence departments for military markets with a high level of quality and a strong sense of planning for low-risk mitigation,” says Si
dhu. “These markets are quite varied and offer an extensive range of challenges and opportunities which require having a highly informed understanding towards servicing them in order to meet all industry demands.”
“With aerospace and defense there has to be a high level of involvement with engineering and procurement to make sure all of the requirements are understood for those contracts,” says Sidhu when asked if there were any challenges faced in the market. “There are some challenges with being able to help our clients improve the value in their design and sometimes they’re not able to take that on because of the pressure they have to be able to fulfill the demand of their market. They don’t have any room to schedule in a design revision, even if it was to bring in greater value to the part, they simply don’t have it within their time constraints. That requires a keen interest in being able to plan with clarity so that we can see those gaps early, communicate to our customers and put an action plan together that ensures we are all on the same page in executing our deliverables.”
East Metal is proud to take on complete integrated assemblies, specifically with being able to reduce significant cost in the medical instrumentation field with clients from different life science groups. “Consolidating the many facets of purchasing and scheduling responsibilities into one supplier not only reduces the supply base, but also reduces working capital in a number of ways. This becomes a major advantage to partnering with an integrated manufacturing services provider like us. The company develops supply agreements, contingency plans, as well as having a careful selection towards suppliers so they can meet production targets. One of the biggest things we’re starting to see is companies are requiring us to take on and manage its products total supply chain. We do this with efficient planning and being able to deliver commitment to our clients at a lower-cost.”
ADAPT AND INNOVATE
As with any profitable business, the willingness to adapt and innovate must come naturally in order to meet the demands of the industry. “The industry’s pushed us to continue to invest in new technologies, new training and moved our capacity and our capability along to the point where we’ve moved 4 times by growing larger every time. However today we find ourselves in the middle of one of the most comprehensive and connected supply chain systems in the world. Shorter product cycles, higher inventory turns, faster time-to-market demands and supply chain speed and flexibility are just a few of the challenges that make up today’s competitive manufacturing landscape.”
It is in East Metal’s culture to continue to invest into new technologies and not have to wait for indicators within their own industry. “We align ourselves more towards the requirements and goals of our customers markets rather than compare ourselves to what’s happening within the industry,” comments Sidhu. “I think when you do that, you create a constant niche for yourself. Having become service-oriented to handle large projects at a tier 1 and tier 2 level, we’ve been able to accomplish just that and give our clients a piece of mind.”
“WE ARE A FAMILY”
“Even though we are in the manufacturing industry, East Metal is more than a full service contract manufacturer. We are a family of 125 employees working in a 75, 000 square ft. state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. As we celebrate 40 years in the business, we would not only like to celebrate the evolution of our manufacturing company, but also to the same 125 employees who help contribute to grow our great communities,” closes Sidhu. “As we pursue economic interests, we have a responsibility to be an active member of the communities in which we live and work and not forget the social needs of communities. This responsibility is not only a social responsibility for East Metal, but also a business imperative. Without thriving communities with strong infrastructures, we cannot run a successful business. We are able to meet those goals with managing local mentorship programs along with extensive programs overseas for Clear Water irrigation in India that are bringing back clean water back into homes and farms. East Metal has also helped establish and support a sports academy for young girls and boys providing a space to develop into tomorrow’s leaders. I am proud to say this is what sets East Metal apart; we aren’t just manufacturers but a global family with valued partnerships.”
For more information on East Metal, visit www.eastmetal.com
