Case Study - Turbine blade manufacturer

CASE STUDY - TURBINE BLADE MANUFACTURER

Turbine engine parts have been produced at this facility for over 60 years. Within the last ten years the well-established high pressure performance grinding process has been present to produce HPT blades and historically only competition wheels were the abrasives used within the high pressure performance grinding process. However in 2016 Norton became a second supplier of high pressure performance grinding wheels.  Norton provided their Norton QuantumX wheels to gain customer lab approved wheels as a backup abrasive for the high pressure performance grinding process. From being good on-time delivery and sales support it allowed Norton to gain 20 percent of high pressure performance grinding business on-site. 

Cost Savings Program
 

Norton has a cost savings program at all Key Account sites which requires process improvements or price reductions that produce yearly savings. Norton’s sales department consulted with Application Engineering about the possibility of the Norton QuantumX wheel’s ability to out perform the competitor wheel and provide a cost saving. The AE’s provided an estimated process improvement plan with cutting strategy and wheel consumption with reduce the on part grind time. Our Sales presented the improvement plan to management. In turn, the management agreed to allow a test grind to prove the potential cost savings of the Norton QuantumX product. This is what we achieved…