At National Industries, our team is proud to work with clients that represent a range of critical sectors from across Australia and the world. For some of them – our defence clients, our unicorns and corporate giants, our clients with patents and proprietary parts – privacy is everything.
This case study covers a project we undertook for a large national telco provider, that has requested anonymity due to commercial sensitivities.
For us, this project was a matter of being in the right place, at the right time – and having the perfect combination of skill, material availability and technology to go with it.
Our client, driving along a busy road while on the hunt for a metal fabrication problem solver, pulled up right behind our branded truck, identified us as a leading laser cutting service and immediately got in touch to see if we could assist with an urgent marketing project.
Requiring a quality and attractive metal tool to accompany one of their packaged products, they provided a hand-drawn design, and put us to work to deliver on their vision.
The first challenge our client threw our way in this project wasn’t the design of the tool itself, but the volume and timeframe for delivery – they needed 12 million components designed and manufactured ready to start their campaign… yesterday.
Never a team to shy away from a good challenge, we enthusiastically agreed to help the client, allocated a project manager, and set our focus on the complex logistics of this task.
Within days, we had perfected the design of the product – intricate and complex, and only as a big as a fingernail – and we had drawn on our own stock of materials and our laser-cutting equipment to deliver functional, shiny, stainless steel samples into the hands of our pleased clients.
Though the material for the expansive volume they required was difficult to source at that time, we collaborated with our partners to secure a steady stream of stainless steel. We implemented a 24-hour work schedule that allowed us to begin producing and delivering every day, feeding 30,000 units straight into their production and packaging line every week, from the beginning of week two of the project.
With the requirements for the product quite unique, we designed bespoke, heaving-duty tooling (120kg+) to do the job with accuracy and speed, and we built the tooling for them over the first three months, while our existing laser cutters produced daily runs.
When the tooling was complete, we increased runs from approximately 6,000 units produced daily to 160,000 units each day, still making daily deliveries.
The response to this project was incredibly positive, and the client extended it, continuing production and the campaign for 12 months.
For our client, this was a big win, rolling out a project of this scale at an unprecedented pace. For us, it was a great opportunity to solve a client problem and deliver a quality product that appeared on shelves in every major supermarket across the country.
“Speed of delivery – both coming up with a bespoke solution and manufacturing that solution at vast volumes – has become one of our key specialties over recent decades, as we have seen our clients become more agile and adaptable in response to rapidly changing conditions within their markets and the economy. At National Industries, we excel under pressure, and our culture is built on the idea that there is nothing like a challenge!”
Anthony, GM
Why did we get this project? Because we take the time to ask the right questions, and we know what those are because we have spent more than 60 years in this industry building our knowledge and honing our craft! There’s no such thing as a problem that can’t be solved, just a supplier who doesn’t have the right skills to solve it!