It is not often that one comes across customers thanking engineering and prototyping providers for aggressive turnaround times, but Xcentric Mold and Engineering excels at providing more service and better quality at phenomenal speeds, irrespective of the level of complexity and tolerance required.
From its base in Clinton Township, Michigan, Xcentric Mold and Engineering provides in-house custom injection molding, CNC machining, and 3D printing services for crafting parts from plastics and metals. Its headquarters is supported by a twin manufacturing location in Shelby Township, Michigan, and both facilities are near Detroit for easy access to its main client base.
Although it serves many industries, most of the company’s clients operate in the medical, industrial components, consumer electronics, aerospace, and automotive manufacturing fields. Xcentric especially relishes bringing complex projects to life and creating components that are difficult to engineer and manufacture.
Always assuring clients of its best care, it is dedicated to aligning its products and services with their expectations and requirements. “[We have a] renewed focus on the customer experience, the speed at which we deliver quotes, quality products, on-time delivery, and high-quality interactions with our technology and teams. We’ve relaunched our amazing customer experience initiative to [underline] that customer experience is the number-one priority for our team,” says Matt McIntosh, Chief Executive Officer.
An emphasis has been placed on increased service awareness as the company expands its presence throughout the country. “We are currently focused on maximizing our potential in the United States, which we have the capability of serving in full,” he adds.
Keeping its mold design and tool-making capabilities ahead of those of its competitors, the company employs enterprise resource planning and design software suites that complement its vast expertise in injection molding. Its technological investments are not limited to the manufacturing side of the business, either. Its sales team and project managers benefit from systems such as Salesforce to support seamless communication with clients and provide a much-improved project journey over alternative communication methods.
The company improved its 3D printing capabilities about four years ago when early adopters created a heavy demand for quality and speed in this technology. Today, Xcentric Mold and Engineering’s 3D printing portfolio includes Stereolithography (SLA), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), MultiJet Printing (MJP), PolyJet Printing, ColorJet Printing (CJP), and Markforged printing (MKF), respected in the industry for rendering parts of superb complexity and strength.
3D printing is indispensable for rapidly making fully-functional prototypes at a much-reduced cost. This means going into full fabrication for clients significantly faster. Its guarantee of speed is also evident in its CNC tool machining department where machined parts have been produced within two to five days since 2018.
“Our expertise here gives us capabilities to design and manufacture tools for a range of simple to complex parts. On top of that, we do it with the speed and efficiency that our customers have come to expect from an elite rapid prototyping manufacturer,” says McIntosh.
Founded in 1995 by brothers Brendan and Damon Weaver, it was built on the expertise they gleaned from years in the industry. Concluding that molders at the time were all pretty much the same, the Weaver brothers set out to do things differently. Together, they set up processes that would transform the future of injection molding in this highly industrial area and automated what had traditionally been a mainly manual process. While several economic downturns and recessions have shaken many manufacturing outfits, Xcentric’s differentiating factors have allowed the company to soar.
Xcentric Mold and Engineering has relationships with engineers from myriad fields and a deep understanding of its specialty which means that its molds are delivered to clients with a lifetime guarantee. That is how confident this company is about its capabilities.
The company’s sales team is as well-versed in the production process as the rest of the company. An exhaustive understanding of the technical side of the product is instilled in each salesperson from the beginning by familiarizing them with all engineering and production processes. Thorough training leads to clear communication with both clients and engineers, resulting in a smoother, faster, and more enjoyable journey from the drawing board to delivery.
Xcentric’s comprehensive training process is naturally a great drawing card and so its group of around one hundred staff members is always growing. “This place is great because just walking around the building and talking to the team on the plant floor, you get a real sense for just how much they care about this business. They care about our customers, and they care about each other. Everyone here is committed to Xcentric’s success. It’s a true testament to the type of people we have here,” says McIntosh.
Complementing its attention to detail in its technology and manufacturing processes, hiring recruits is not left to the luck-of-the-draw. A strong technical background, an appreciation of urgency, and pragmatism are all qualities that are valued in prospective candidates, as is the ability to transition concepts from idea to delivery of designs that are both functional and of superior quality. Solid communication skills and a willingness to collaborate with engineers openly and productively are also essential requirements.
As with everything else this company touches, it overcame the trials that COVID-19 presented. “I’m very proud of the way our team embraced that challenge and found creative ways to stay operational. Our IT team did a fantastic job of securing technology and deploying it so our office staff could work from home. At the production facilities, we followed all state, local, and CDC guidelines to ensure a healthy and safe place for our team,” McIntosh says.
The results are outstanding. Since February, the company is back to pre-pandemic growth rates despite the knock-on effects that shipping difficulties create. “The team did a great job adapting to the influx of orders and has continued to maintain on-time delivery rates in the ninety percent range,” adds McIntosh.
While he is well aware of the difficulties ahead, the leader remains optimistic about the future. “We believe the economy is going to rebound in 2021, and manufacturing is set to take a big step forward. We have plans to increase more than thirty percent this year,” McIntosh tells us, noting that this trend is evident in the growing demand for domestic manufacturing partners.
Although it looks at 2021 as a recovery period, the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines offers great hope for employees to be able to return to the office soon. “Additionally, that is combined with an increased demand for on-shoring which should continue to create more demand for Xcentric. We continue to forecast strong demand from automotive, packaging, industrial, commercial, and medical device markets for injection-molded products,” McIntosh says. From this, there should be a corresponding rise in product developers and engineers approaching with new projects.
Plunging into a pandemic world has led the company to rediscover its true strengths from its perpetual investment in operations, lean manufacturing, and sales and marketing, and Xcentric is preparing to welcome ever-greater numbers of new partners seeking it out for unmatched service.
