Automotive Supplier Improves Quality, Delivery by Reshoring
U.S. manufacturers that source low-cost components offshore often face several challenges. Among the most common are language barriers, lack of timely responses, long lead times and problems with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Another problem is receiving a perfect prototype initially—followed by subsequent shipments of poor-quality parts.
WEXCO Industries Inc., a manufacturer of heavy-duty windshield wiper systems for OEMs, knew all about these problems in 2010 after using offshore vendors for 5 years. That year the Pine Brook, NJ, company decided to change its approach and source a local vendor, AmTech International, for the pivot shafts and housings it needed on its new Compact Drive and Dual Drive motorized wiper assemblies.