What’s a typical work week like for you at Gear Manufacturing Incorporated (GMI)?
Lately, it has been hectic as new projects have been steadily increasing. We continue to push gears and assemblies, always juggling critical jobs and constantly prioritizing. Personally, I work on two to three dozen drawings weekly as the primary estimator, in addition to typical customer calls as the Director of Sales. As of late, I’m able to prioritize what type of work fits GMI the best in supporting long-term programs, assist in pushing jobs that are falling behind due to unforeseen circumstances, and work with customers and our engineers to release jobs on time to keep throughput continuously moving forward.
What does GMI do for the gear manufacturing industry?
At GMI, our motto is manufacturing quality products that meet customer specifications while delivering parts on time. We are committed in being the leader in supplying precision gears at a cost-effective price while utilizing the latest manufacturing technology to the satisfaction of our customers. In addition to precision gearing, we also manufacture spline shafts, CNC machined parts, gearbox assemblies, mechanical assemblies, and some electromechanical assemblies.
What do you think sets GMI apart from its competitors?
GMI takes on many complicated and challenging parts with extremely tight tolerances that others may not or cannot manufacture. The majority of all our production stays internal. We have inhouse capabilities such as turning, milling, ID/OD grinding, hobbing, shaping, broaching, wire EDM, gear grinding, and more. We work directly with our customers to shrink standard lead times wherever possible. We have added more capability and capacity in our gear-grinding department over recent years, with two Klingelnberg Hofler Vipers with cutting edge technology that allow both internal and external profile grinding along with generating grinding.
How do you approach a customer when they come to you with a challenge?
Different types of challenges such as part difficulty, pricing, particular processing risks, or even delivery do happen to take place with our customers from time to time. First, we listen to what these challenges are and how we can team up to accomplish the task at hand. With excellent customer service and engineering support, GMI works diligently to assist our customers with a quick resolution.
As the gear industry has evolved, how do you feel GMI has evolved with it?
I have seen a lot in 42 years in the business. GMI has worked to stay ahead of the curve by investing in capital equipment over the years anticipating customers’ needs. Whether it is customer driven, a backup machine, or even adding new capacity, we plan accordingly. In fact, we have a new ST40 Mitsubishi shaper and a new MV2400 EDM hitting the floor later this month.
Where do you see the gear industry in the next decade or so, and GMI’s place in that future?
It has been challenging times with COVID within the aerospace industry, yet we continue to seek out more defense, space, and government work. But quite honestly, I feel like the aerospace industry will take off again soon with a vengeance. With the newest of technology and more planes in the sky, it is bound to happen very soon. Not only with our full in-house capabilities, but with highly skilled machinists, inspectors, and engineering team, GMI is ready for this new boom. We will continue to hire knowledgeable employees, retain them, and make the full commitment to our future. We have an exciting future here at GMI and will continue as one of the nation’s best gear suppliers.
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