First responders look to pick up speed

Shop Manager Marlon Almanza stands at the controls of New Paradigm Laser’s new Ermaksan Speed-Bend Pro press brake. The shop is adding new machines that can help speed production times.

New Paradigm Laser (NPL) has been in business in Cambridge, Ont., since 1998 and for much of its history was focused primarily on laser processing of sheet metal. However, since its purchase six years ago by Sherbrooke, Que.-based ISE Metal Inc., the shop has aimed to expand its product offering.

A big part of customer service is, of course, response time—the ability to turn around quotes promptly and to deliver finished product swiftly. To support its drive for greater efficiency, the shop has invested in new quoting software, as well as new laser and bending technologies. Beyond that, it is investing in young hires to lead the company into the future.

Quoting Confidence

Shop Manager Marlon Almanza understands that few customers simply want cut sheet metal anymore.

“Our customers want a complete part that has been cut, formed, and welded,” he said. “They don’t want to waste time doing extra fabrication steps; they simply want to take those components and assemble their final product.

“There are so many laser operators in our area of Ontario, so you have to find a competitive edge,” he continued. “Responding quickly to customers is one way to do that.”

Quoting jobs is the first area that comes into play for NPL. The company promises a 24-hour turnaround.

“Whoever gets there first with a quote gets the first shot,” Almanza said. “We are very organized in this area. We have a team of two who do the quoting, alongside a scheduler and a programming department. With this group we can ensure we create the right flow in the shop when we win new business.”

The problem for NPL was that the quoting function had become a bottleneck. Using JobBOSS as an MRP system helped in managing the flow of parts onto and off the floor, but quoting still required unfolding a part, making plenty of calculations, and sorting it all out in spreadsheets.

So the company recently automated this process using SecturaSoft software (see Figure 1). This software basically takes a flat part drawing provided to it in DXF or DWG format and provides a quote based on parameters it gathers from the ERP/MRP system and any other parameters a shop supplies (for instance, estimated weld per inch and bend presets).

Figure 1
The company recently automated its quoting process using SecturaSoft software. This software basically takes a flat part drawing provided to it in DXF or DWG format and provides a quote based on parameters it gathers from the ERP/MRP system and any other parameters a shop supplies (for instance, estimated weld per inch and bend presets). Here we see a generic example of a quote. Image courtesy of SecturaSoft.

“This speeds up the quoting process a lot,” said Almanza.

It also changes the requirements for the quoting role at the company. In the past NPL filled sales positions with employees with 10 to 15 years of shop floor experience. Today it can generate reliable quotes with less experienced employees.

“Filling sales positions isn’t a problem,” Almanza said. “We’re more concerned with finding operators and other skilled laborers than salespeople. Our quoting software makes sales quick and simple. We now have the flexibility to reallocate resources from the shop floor or front office to help sell when needed.”

SecturaSoft is a new company on the market.

“They customized the software for our needs,” Almanza said. “For instance, not every company wants a complete breakdown of every service included in a quote, but we want to make sure the customer understands precisely how their payment breaks out and how part order volume can affect that cost. They helped us sort through all of that.”

Laser Basics Boosted

Laser cutting is the backbone of NPL’s business, of course, and Almanza is proud of how his team keep even the shop’s oldest of the shop’s six lasers cutting with precision.

“If you have a good setup guy, you never should have to do any after-cut finishing,” he said. “I have a policy in the shop: If I ever hear the grinders going, I know we have a problem. If we’re grinding, we’re wasting time. That takes a lot of work from us. We keep all our lasers well maintained so that we can keep our guys busy with more productive work. Some of our lasers are 13 years old and they are still cutting good-quality parts. One has run 78,000 hours and is still cutting.”

The shop cuts mild, stainless steel, and aluminum and has two 6- by 12-ft. laser beds for oversized parts. NPL also cuts laser tubes up to 120 in.

As proud as he is of his older machines (with an average age of about six years), Almanza knows you can’t deny the value that a fiber laser can bring to a shop today. For that reason, he recently installed a new Ermaksan Fibermak Momentum Gen-3 6-kW fiber laser cutting table (see Figure 2) and an Ermaksan Speed-Bend Pro press brake from Ferric Machinery (a smaller companion brake for another Ermak and an older 400-ton, 20-ft. brake already in the shop).

“I like working with Ferric Machinery,” he said. “They are close by and respond very quickly if I have a question about anything. The laser has really sped up our laser cutting capabilities, and the press brake is very easy to operate and easy to learn on. Of course, you have to have dependable tooling to go with that, so we’ve invested in Wilson Tool tooling for that machine.”

Figure 2
As proud as he is of NPL’s older machines (with an average age of about six years), Almanza knows you can’t deny the value that a fiber laser can bring to a shop today. For that reason, he recently installed a new Ermaksan Fibermak Momentum Gen-3 6-kW fiber laser cutting table, shown here in operation.

Almanza hasn’t purchased any automation for his machines but feels that will come with time (see Figure 3). Right now he is planning a reorganization of the shop’s storage to improve flow and create a more expansive area for welding and other finishing processes like drilling and tapping.

Skills Growth

NPL has been ISO 9001:2001-qualified since 2006, which is another aspect of the shop’s drive for quality and excellence. The company wants to be a go-to choice for OEMs and others who require consistent quality and delivery of large orders.

To make that possible also requires maintaining a strong team on the floor. For that reason, Almanza is doing what he can to encourage growth among young recruits.

“When new young employees join our team, we set aside a certain amount of funds a year for them to take courses to develop their skills,” he explained. “I think that if you have a smart team you’ll inevitably grow bigger as a company. You have to invest in your people. And that means substantial training when they join our team as well. For instance, any new laser operator on our staff gets three weeks of training with an experienced team member so that they understand exactly how we operate, and make sure they understand the critical role they play in our quality assurance processes.”

New Paradigm Laser, www.paradigmlaser.com

Ermaksan, www.ermakusa.com/usa

Exact JobBoss, www.exact.com/us/

Ferric Machinery, www.ferricmachinery.com

SecturaSoft, secturasoft.com

Wilson Tool, www.wilsontool.com

Figure 3
NPL did not purchase any automation with its most recent laser, but Almanza sees that in the future. Right now, the NPL team is busy reconfiguring the shop for better material storage, and flow of materials and parts from cutting to final assembly.