Secrets from 104 Years of Bronze Manufacturing
You won’t hear this from many other bushing manufacturers, but the truth is that most any machine shop can make a bronze bushing. The plain or plane bronze sleeve bushing is one of the simplest designs of bearings around. Any skilled machinist with a lathe can fairly easily turn a bushing from a piece of bronze bar stock. So if any machine shop can machine a bushing, how has National Bronze Mfg. been able to be an industry leader in bronze bushing manufacturing since 1911?
The answer to this is twofold. The first thing to understand is that when you buy a bushing from National Bronze Mfg. you are purchasing much more than just a machined bronze cylinder, you are purchasing the value of partnering with a professional and reputable company with a culture of service and continuous improvement. I was reminded of the intangible value recently when I was shopping for groceries at my local Trader Joes. For those of you not familiar with Trader Joes, they are a well-established grocer known for their high quality organic based goods, competitive prices, and maybe most of all their service. Every time I visit their store I am greeted with a smile. Their knowledgeable staff is more than happy to answer any questions I have concerning the specific benefits from their various products. The lines are never long when I’m ready to check out and their cashiers are amongst the friendliest of individuals I have ever met. I leave the store feeling very happy with my purchases and the experience shopping lifts my spirits the rest of the day.
Now bronze bushings are a far reach from grass fed steaks but the experience is a good idea of what it’s like purchasing from National Bronze Mfg. Our friendly well trained staff of customer service technicians and sales engineers are able to make your experience with us as easy as possible. Any technical questions can be answered by many of experienced professionals. Our account managers are able to set up customized programs to meet your specific needs. From quality requirements to inventory programs and packaging labels, we will do whatever it takes to meet our customer’s needs.
The second key to our success is that over the last 104 years of manufacturing experience is that we not only know how to machine a bronze bushing, but we know how to machine a bronze bushing better than most anyone else. We have developed techniques and propriety equipment to shorten the time it takes to manufacture our products while keeping the quality of those products to the highest of standards. We have one of the largest inventories of bar stock in the nation which shortens are lead times even more. Our long relationships with the largest mills in the US allows us to purchase our raw materials at a lower cost than most machine shops as well as receive a higher value for our scrap. These factors as well as many others are what enables us to deliver our products at prices that would seem impossible for most other companies.
So next time you are sourcing a machined bronze bushing remember it’s much more than simply a bushing that you’re buying.