Production Machining

Four years ago, Tier One of Newtown, Connecticut, had a different company sign on the front lawn—Kendro Laboratory Products. Kendro is a 50-year-old producer of centrifuges for the medical and research industries. In 2003, the company decided to consolidate its assembly operations into a larger plant in Asheville, North Carolina, and to outsource the manufacturing of its motors, rotors and other precision parts produced in Newtown. Several ambitious managers from the machining department suggested that they continue to manufacture there and become Kendro’s vendor. Kendro owners approved, and Tier One, LLC was established with three principals, three shareholder positions for key management and 50 employees. While Kendro launched the business and remains a loyal customer, the goal from the start was to grow and diversify Tier One’s customer base.

Transitioning from an OEM to a contract shop spurred the need for a more agile environment at Tier One. The employees were used to making the same products using the same fixtures, the same tools, the same computer programs, and the same machines. As an OEM, the entire plant was practically running itself, even with the continuous improvement efforts called for in its lean manufacturing plan. Lean initiatives involved such tools and techniques as Kanban, Kaizen and achieving the highest ISO quality accreditation, which is ISO 9001:2000. more...