Manufacturing Outsourcing

Great River Machine works offers contract production and manufacturing outsourcing services. No matter how large your operation-- from a home inventor to a major manufacturer-- it is not always cost-effective to have all of the manufacturing capacity you might need. A home hobbyist may not want the expense needed to have a machine shop in her basement. A larger manufacturer may just have the ocassional need for expanded capacity on a short-term basis, making it too costly to add equipment or personnel. Great River Machine works can assist with adding manufacturing capacity without adding equipment. We offer contract production, machining, and welding fabrication services. Our location in the upper Midwest makes us easily accesible to a wide variety of customers for overflow machining work.

Overflow Machining

It can be very difficult to schedule manufacturing. Sometimes production gets backed up for unforseen reasons. Sometimes machines break down. Sometimes a very important customer calls on Friday afternoon, just as you were about to head out for the weekend, and wants parts ASAP.

Great River Machine Works is happy to take on your last minute jobs. Great River Machine Works contract manufacturing services are here to help! We can provide complete machining services. We are ready to take on the crummy jobs that have to get done-- sawing, tapping, squaring blocks, and other things that you don't want your best people spending their time doing. As schools move their focus away from blue-collar jobs, it is getting harder and harder to find young people who want to apprentice, so it is getting difficult to find people to do those jobs, even in the Midwest, with our traditional manufacturing base. Our overflow machining capabilities can be a real time-- and money-- saver!

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is all over the news these days. Maybe you read the article in Wired on how to design and build your own products. They pointed out how easy it is these days to contact Chinese manufacturing companies to get your products made. There are a lot of potential problems involved in sending work so far from home. You think that sending your design anonymously over the internet 10,000 miles away, to an unknown company with an unknown reputation for quality, is a good idea? Think what would be involved to do a shop visit to check out the company. Dealing with your neighbors gives you greater control over all aspects of the manufacturing process.

Another major drawback to foreign outsourcing is that companies are often forced to accept lower quality to get lower prices. That isn't competition, it is just doing inferior work! Great River strives to produce quality work at a low price. Don't accept less just because it is cheap. Previously, we dealt with several plastic injection mold builders in China. Our experience was that low price molds were of terrible quality, and high quality molds were barely any cheaper than American made ones.

Rather than send your work overseas, keep it local. Great River Machine Work's contract production services are a great alternative to overseas manufacturing! Great River is a shop with strong Midewestern values. We will get your work done right, and always treat our customers fair.