OEM Insights

SIGMA Launches new Operation in India

SIGMA has opened a wholly-owned subsidiary (3PL) in India to source directly and effectively from Indian manufacturers. Prior to this, SIGMA purchased products from Indian foundries on a turnkey / one-stop-shop basis. Through the wholly owned subsidiary, SIGMA works directly with different manufacturers to ensure the overall quality of the products, and exhibit more control in its OEM design and engineering services.

3PL will take a more active role in the whole product development process as well as product supply chain throughout the product lifecycle. As this evolves, the Company expects to move deeper down the value chain and take direct control of machining, painting, sub-assemblies, packaging and export shipping. This will guarantee that we have the best possible pricing to secure OEM business relationships, as well as continue to provide value throughout the whole customer experience.

Lastly, 3PL is looking for prospective customers interested in partnering with us to develop turnkey products within the casting space that can be completely manufactured and made ready for sale into the US.

3PL is positioning itself as a stand-alone supplier to US customers and OEM customers looking for the best TCO experience when sourcing from India.

To obtain more details about SIGMA OEM’s 3PL, please contact us at oem@sigmaco.com

Gorilla Bow, Fitness Innovation

When Gorilla Fitness needed design, supply, manufacturing, packaging and labeling service to launch their new Gorilla Bow, SIGMA OEM was ready. The Gorilla Bow https://www.gorillafitnessequipment.com

is a revolutionary new fitness apparatus that provides a full body resistance-training workout using an archery-type bow. Gorilla presented SIGMA OEM with a prototype, which we gave to our designers for evaluation and engineering. Our team perfected the design, and proceeded with SIGMA OEM’s signature turnkey service.

Because SIGMA OEM has such a vast global network, we were able to procure raw materials, manufacture the equipment, and ship to the customer at a very competitive price. And we delivered the Gorilla Bows assembled, boxed, and labeled with UPC barcodes, so they arrived at the customer’s warehouses ready for immediate sale.

The customer commented, “SIGMA OEM made this process incredibly smooth and simple. As the Gorilla Bow launches and the market expands, we look forward to working with SIGMA OEM to meet the growing demand for this product.”

3D Printing All the Rage at the 2016 Design & Manufacturing Show by SIGMA’s Sandesh Gowda

I’ve just returned from this year’s bustling 2016 Design and Manufacturing Show in New York City. SIGMA OEM was one of about 900 suppliers who exhibited here, and this year’s show was particularly lively, with some 20,000 visitors in attendance. As is typical of the Northeast Industrial profile, visitors to the show were drawn from the Biotech, Pharma, Automation, Lab & Testing, and High Tech sectors.

For the first time, 3D Printing companies had a major presence at the show. As advances are made in new materials and technology, 3D printing is poised to revolutionize small batch production of small to medium sized precision parts. This technology will influence the entire manufacturing landscape. It has the potential to affect everything from the design/development process to the competitiveness of the international manufacturing sector, to the manufacturing supply chain. As an OEM supplier, SIGMA and our partners are closely monitoring the likely impact of 3D printing as it moves into the mainstream.

The 2016 Design and Manufacturing Show brought together a wide variety of US industrial customers and as a result, offered great insight into the market’s varied needs. In terms of trends at the show, most of the customers are seeking finished parts, that is, a fully machined casting rather than a raw casting. In fact, one potential customer wants SIGMA OEM to produce a part, assemble it with associated components and then supply them with a subassembly — all of which we can do. In fact, we are increasingly seeing requests for “value-added” services such as this. This turnkey approach is a strong trend in the OEM industry, and SIGMA OEM is in a position to offer all the services our customers require.

It is interesting to see how American manufacturing has evolved over the past two decades moving away from low-tech, high volume ‘commodity’ manufacturing toward a more comprehensive, high tech approach. To be a successful manufacturer or an OEM Service provider in the US today a company needs to be able to produce complex and innovative products that require cutting edge process technologies, such as 3D Printing, and incorporate new materials. Pharmaceutical hardware, aerospace and high tech equipment are just three examples of where the US continues to maintain the manufacturing advantage. SIGMA OEM will continue to enhance our offerings to support and provide OEM services to these and other industries. For further information, contact sgowda@sigmaco.com.

How to Ensure an Accurate OEM Quote

Accurate quotes are an increasingly important element in today’s competitive market. Companies can save time and boost productivity when they streamline their communication with suppliers and reduce the back and forth that can be required to obtain a quote.

SIGMA OEM offers the following “Top 10 Tips” to ensure a smooth and accurate quoting process:

There is no such thing as “Too Much Information” when providing details for a quote.
Include the most up-to-date drawings and all drawings required to quote machining, assembly, etc.
Be sure to provide the weight (if not called out on the drawing) and annual volume of the product.
Is the part coated? If so, provide the specification as it relates to the finish requirements (ie: primer only, top coat), the coating type (ie: FBE), color, as all of these features affect the price.
The material is a crucial factor in pricing. If not specified on the drawing, provide grade of material. Are there other specifications as it relates to the material and appearance of the part?
Provide a sample of the item, if available. If there is a discrepancy betweenthe sample and drawing dimensions, be sure to indicate which to follow.

NPT and ANPT in a Nutshell by Jeremy Allen, Southwest Regional Sales Manager

NPT NPT is one of the predominant standards in operation for waterworks applications, i.e., where water is being transported through multiples pipes and joints. ANPT, as its name suggests, originated in the Aeronautical industry and for this reason has been developed for the transportation of more hazardous or corrosive materials including gasoline, natural gas or other chemicals.

On a recent site visit to an OEM customer, it became apparent that there was some confusion around these two standards for screw threads. We thought it could be helpful therefore to give a quick overview on NPT and ANPT.

As engineers, we tend to use jargon and initials as shortcuts to describe technical concepts and NPT or National Pipe Taper screw threads and ANPT or Aeronautical Pipe Taper screw threads are no exception. Both threads are regulated by the ANSI or American National Standards Institute and are detailed in the ANSI B1.20.1 (NPT) and SAEAS71051 specifications.

The primary differences between the two standards are that:

NPT requires pipe tape to make a true seal, whereas ANPT threads crush in on themselves to make a dry seal.
NPT and ANPT are identical up to 2 inches or smaller, whereas at 2.5 inches, the product screws are NOT identical.
ANPT is used for more highly technical specifications, for example in chemical processing or transportation. ANPT requires L1/L2 ring gauges for the male thread, as well as L1/L3 plug gauges for the female threads. A crest check also known as a six step is also required to achieve the ANPT gauging.
The thread design used by NPT and ANPT is different; NPT uses 2 threads, while ANPT uses 3.

In addition to the above, the following features of both are worth noting:

During product assembly, NPT and ANPT are designed to screw together; there is no interference between the root (the bottom of the thread form) and the crest (the top of the thread form) at the moment of assembly.
Tapered screw NPTs are designed to be sealed together with some form of sealant.
An NPTF screw can be used with both NPT and ANPT – there are no problems between the root and the crest.
Both NPT and ANPT require an L.1 gage. The L.1 gage relates to the screw thread specification.

For further information, contact jallen@sigmaco.com. To read other technical articles by SIGMA OEM engineers, see SIGMA OEM Insights.

Risk Mitigation: Michael Weller, General Manager, SIGMA OEM Shares his First-hand Experience

Cost management is often the key driver for companies considering partnering with an OEM supplier such as SIGMA OEM. The most critical factors in the cost management equation are the soft costs, which are by definition unpredictable and prone to fluctuations. For this reason, many of our OEM customers find SIGMA OEM’s Risk Mitigation proposition compelling. SIGMA OEM and our suppliers assume and manage the many variables in the sourcing and manufacturing process, essentially insulating the customer from routine fluctuations that can affect costs.

According to research among our customer base, the potential risks that keep people awake at night are as follows:

Quality concerns
Currency volatility
Cost of raw materials
Trans-ocean freight and import challenges
Management of remote supplier relationships and communications

When looking to select a global OEM partner, customers are advised to understand the top three reasons why an OEM enterprise can fail … Read More >

The Role of Coordinate Measurement Machines in Accommodating Large Sized Parts

Coordinate Measurement Machines (CMM) are indispensable tools for ensuring the dimensional accuracy of precision manufactured products. While most manufacturers and metrology service providers are able to accommodate small and medium sized parts, very few have the CMM capability for the larger sized parts required by a number of our customers working in the new energy, water and wastewater, or the steel industries. OEM products on this scale are often made overseas, because of the high capital investment needed to procure and maintain CMMs capable of measuring large sized parts. This distance has time and cost implications for customers, many of whom require the production of the housing of a product overseas, but will then ship the product to the U.S. for final assembly and finishing. An error at any stage in this process will have disastrous commercial consequences…. Read More >