Outsourcing Concerns in Defence Industry

Outsourcing Concerns in Defence Industry

Defence machining is one of the most complex and exacting fields of business out there.  Getting a defence industry contract is incredibly difficult.  If that contract involves precision machining, it gets even tougher.  Contract award schedules move at a glacial pace.  They have to accommodate all of the intricate requirements, compliances, and guarantees necessary for the military and defence industry.

Ben Machine has a long history as part of the defence industry base.  We have worked with all levels of the defence industry, developing and producing high-quality solutions on the cutting edge of technology.  Our ISO 9001 facilities in Canada give us ready access to Canadian specialty metals, raw materials and hardware, much like the access we enjoy in the States.  

This unique expanded access has helped maintain the Canadian defence industry’s supply chain during these recent complicated times.  The result is enhanced national security and supply chain resilience.

We work very hard to provide the defence industry with the equipment and components. They need while maintaining an exemplary level of professionalism.  We’re very careful to comply with every contractual aspect, whether administrative, material, or performative.  One way we simplify the compliance issue is by keeping all our work in-house.  

A True One-Stop-Shop

Just because a company which applies for defence industry precision machining contracts calls itself a “one-stop shop” doesn’t make it so.  Many contractors will have to outsource various pieces to fulfill a military parts contract, especially if the details of the contract change.  And they do change.

Over the last half-century, Ben Machine has continually brought in new capabilities and the latest technologies to make sure we can keep all aspects of production under our own roof.  This eliminates layers of paperwork, compliance issues, logistical delays, and concerns about intellectual property.

From Prototyping to Production

Technology is no problem.  We have over a hundred CNC machines for milling, turning, and sheet metal forming, including multi-axis machines and large capacity lathes with live tooling.  We have digital control over literally every aspect of precision metal forming.  We even have complete services for plating, finishing, coating, and painting of the finished products.

This kind of capability and volume also means if an initial run turns into a production run, we’re up for it.  This saves huge amounts of time, paperwork, and expenses since we don’t have to negotiate with other companies or resolve how to handle the intellectual property we’ve developed along the way.

Staying Invested in the Future

Ben Machine brings a half-century of expertise to defence machining. Our experts work with our customer’s engineers to find solutions that often were impossible even a year or two ago.  Improvements in metal properties and capabilities go hand-in-hand with improvements in CNC machining and a scale of precision that has never been seen before.  

The full understanding of materials on a molecular level combined with powerful iterative testing was unimaginable without modern computers.  Together they allow for the tweaking of designs and the discovery of new capabilities which exceed design specs for the latest projects. 

Extending the Life of Tried-and-True Systems

At the same time, if a contract comes in to provide replacement components for an older system. We often have to choose whether to use the older technology. It was designed with or to bring the replacement components up to date.  Sometimes that means rolling out a process that isn’t commonly used anymore, and we do.  Fifty years of experience covers a lot of ground.  

We can often give better performance with updated technology, but at the same time, we must ensure compatibility with the original system.  Our experts know how to assess those questions, too.  

There is simply no substitute for the half-century of experience. Ben Machine has, and the expertise we bring to the table.