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You place a lot of trust in your suppliers, and usually there is a lot riding on everything going as expected. Here's our spooky take on breakdowns that can happen in that relationship.

We are over the moon to have been awarded the Business Growth Award 2022 at the Central South Business Awards. The award recognises outstanding vision and leadership through significant and sustained growth.

If you outsource CNC machining, you are probably seeing component prices rise. For buyers that are focussed on getting best value for money, an environment where prices are rocketing can make your job very hard indeed. 

2021 has marked a year of change at Penta. From new employees to new locations, our focus for the year has been the same as ever – providing an exemplary service for customers.

Engineering raw material prices have rocketed and it’s causing chaos.

Uncertainty over availability means it’s difficult to get quotes for materials, and difficult to get quotes for manufacturing. The timeframe in which a quote remains valid is shortening significantly. We’re feeling the effects, and we know our customers are too.

It can be a tricky balancing act to specify components in industries where there is a need for volume but also for safety, competition is high, or the market is commoditised. Designers and product development teams facing these challenges understand that precision machining tolerances must be detailed. And the datum must be precise. If they get any of this wrong, they risk compromising the product’s fit, form and function.

You love the brushed aluminium finish on your top-of-the-range designer laptop. And you want the same finish for the high-end medical device you’re specifying.

But this may not be as easy as you think. The aluminium grade you want may not be readily available. Or the finishing may require special techniques.

You’re having difficulties with a precision component for a critical medical device. The part won’t fit the assembly. Or the finish isn’t right. Or the quality/consistency is hit and miss. Or any number of other issues.

But your existing supplier – who perhaps has been reliable up until now – is pushing back: they did “exactly as instructed”, they protest. They followed your drawings/CAD models “to the letter”.

So what went wrong? And how can it be fixed quickly and cost-effectively? You want a second opinion – is the issue with the supplier, the drawings or both?

Procuring subcontract precision engineering for medical device components can be a minefield. Sourcing the right fit for your supply chain is far from easy because of the sheer number of players out there.

Many claim to be specialists in their own particular sphere of CNC machining (while still taking on plenty of non-core work). And you will know from experience that some precision engineers are more precise than others.