At Reata Engineering, we never shy away from future-facing technologies that help us do more for our customers. In fact, we embrace such advancements with open arms.
That’s why we’ve just invested $2 million into new equipment with automated features that will expand our complex CNC machining capabilities.
How Reata Engineering Is Growing through Automation
We’ve found that when implemented thoughtfully, automation enables us to mitigate the manufacturing labor shortage while allowing our current team members to thrive.
1. High-volume manufacturing
With our new VARIAXIS i-300 5-axis machining center and INTEGREX i350H multi-tasking center with 5-axis capabilities, we can machine a large quantity of complex parts simultaneously and in a single operation.
Automation empowers us to program machining operations to perform without human intervention so that we can achieve intricate, tight tolerance parts with greater accuracy and efficiency.
2. Faster turnaround
We’re committed to getting you your parts when you need them, and automation helps make that possible.
By purchasing machines that can achieve lights out production when skilled human labor is unavailable, we’ve increased our capacity and become more efficient.
Traditional CNC equipment requires a person to be present to load and unload parts and have a spindle up time of 25-35%. For automated machines, spindle up time skyrockets to 80-90%! This dramatic increase in productivity makes integrating automated solutions an easy choice for our precision machine shop.
3. On-demand manufacturing
Material shortages have made it difficult for companies to predict inventory needs. Automation solutions solve this problem by allowing us to provide parts to customers on an ongoing basis instead of “batching” them out all at once.
This approach ensures you have the parts you need to keep your business running without requiring you to stockpile inventory.
4. An empowered team
We would never implement automation solutions to replace valued team members. Instead, we leverage new technologies to make our employees’ jobs more fulfilling.
By relegating repetitive “doing” tasks to robots and other automated equipment, we empower our team members to develop higher-level “thinking” skills that will help them advance in the industry. And by containing monotonous tasks to automated lights-out manufacturing hours, we ensure that our team members get to work more desirable shifts.
Because our employees feel valued and engaged in their work, we enjoy a low employee turnover rate. Our team members become true experts in complex CNC machining, and our customers benefit from their deep industry knowledge.
New Technologies, Timeless Values
We believe it’s crucial to invest in new technologies to keep up with customer needs and prepare for where the manufacturing industry is headed. While it can be hard to let go of functional equipment that was once vital to our business, we recognize that holding on to the past only holds us back.
We’ve already reaped substantial benefits from automating our inspection and quality assurance systems through platforms such as Paperless Parts, MachineMetrics, Pro Shop, and ESPRIT CAM software. It’s only natural that we also enhance aspects of our CNC milling services through automation solutions.
We’re currently automating more machines on the shop floor as well as in the quality control room. In the near future, we hope to purchase robots to automate some of our more repetitive assembly processes.
But rest assured. . . while our systems and machines may change with the times, our commitment to excellence will never waver. Request a quote to work with us!