MFG.com saves Servocell time and money

MFG.com, the global sourcing marketplace, (Stand K9) helped Harlow company Servocell  solve a sourcing headache. Servocell uses piezo-based actuator technology to produce a range of innovative electromechanical locks and gas valves. Using MFG.com, it sourced two battery to PCB contact terminals from Hong-Kong based Oasis Manufacturing. The parts are simple progression stampings from phosphor-bronze strip.

According to Chrys Chrysostomou, Director of Engineering at Servocell, MFG.com has offered the engineers a huge productivity enhancement.

“We’ve certainly found it very helpful indeed. One of the biggest drains on an engineer’s time is trying to find suppliers for parts – and there is an awful lot of legwork involved when you are ‘manually’ sourcing components. It is great to have a service were we can post details and criteria online and vendors bid for the business. The process is now simpler and quicker as well as giving us access to a much larger array of suppliers.

“The presentation is great and the user reviews on there are invaluable. If I am sourcing a supplier myself, I am going to have nobody’s word except theirs that they are any good. It is great to have the ability to check and see who has done business with them before and what they say about them. And that was how we ultimately decided on Oasis Manufacturing for the parts we have just sourced,” says Chrys.

“If it hadn’t been for MFG.com, the only option that I could see us seriously exploring was making these things ourselves. We had started on the path of designing a press tool, but I think we would have ended up having everything etched. These little 0.2mm phosphor bronze parts would have cost a fortune. Oasis are able to ship us 200,000 of pieces for less than it would have cost to have a press tool made. I’m really very impressed with MFG.com and will certainly be using it again.”

Subcon 2008