US Metal Stamping Manufacturer Achieves Dimensional Precision in Linkage Arm Assemblies

A leading manufacturer was sourcing a critical linkage and selector arm assembly from an international metal stamping supplier. However, persistent quality issues began to disrupt operations. Parts were not meeting required dimensional tolerances, resulting in inconsistent performance and downstream production challenges.

Compounding the issue, long lead times and shipping delays created inventory gaps, increasing costs and limiting the customer’s ability to respond quickly to demand. The combination of poor quality and supply chain inefficiencies made it clear that a new approach was needed.

The HTT Approach: Partnership-Driven Problem Solving

Rather than simply quoting the existing design, HTT approached the project as a true engineering partnership.

HTT’s team worked closely with the customer’s engineers to fully understand the application, the failure points, and the limitations of the previous manufacturing process. By listening first and aligning on the root cause, the teams were able to move beyond surface-level fixes and develop a long-term solution.

As HTT President, Neil Leland, explains, “When we listen to our customers and work to understand their challenges, we can develop solutions that truly meet their needs. That is what defines a real partnership.”

Through a detailed design and process review, HTT identified the primary failure mode and recommended a strategic redesign. The solution included:

• Introducing a solid boss within the welded assembly to improve structural integrity
• Implementing a post-weld machining operation to achieve tighter dimensional control
• Retooling the component to support a more robust and repeatable manufacturing process

This collaborative, design for manufacturability approach ensured that the solution addressed both the immediate quality concerns and the long-term performance requirements.

Results: Improved Quality, Reduced Lead Times, and Cost Savings

By reshoring production to HTT’s Wisconsin-based metal stamping facility and implementing the new process, the customer saw immediate and measurable improvements.

• Improved Product Quality: Parts consistently met all dimensional specifications, eliminating previous performance issues and reducing scrap and rework.

• Reduced Lead Times and Greater Supply Chain Reliability: Domestic production minimized shipping delays and provided the customer with a more responsive and predictable supply chain.

• Lower Total Cost of Ownership: While the solution required upfront engineering and tooling changes, the reduction in defects, delays, and inefficiencies resulted in meaningful long-term cost savings.

This project highlights a core principle at HTT. The best outcomes come from true collaboration, not transactional manufacturing.

As Business Development Director, Bob Lischka, puts it, “We look at every relationship as a true partnership. Whatever we can do to make both of us succeed, that is how we approach every project.”

• Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Early engineering involvement leads to better performing, more cost-effective parts
  
  
• Engineering Collaboration: Working side by side with customers uncovers root causes faster and leads to more durable solutions
  
  
• Process Innovation: Strategic changes to tooling and secondary operations can dramatically improve quality and consistency
  
  
• Reshoring Advantages: Domestic metal stamping combined with HTT’s full-service, one-stop-shop manufacturing approach reduces risk, improves lead times, simplifies supply chains, and gives customers greater control from fabrication and stamping through welding, coating, and assembly.

A Better Way to Solve Complex Metal Stamping Challenges

At HTT, we do not just build parts. We partner with our customers to solve problems.

This collaborative approach is central to how HTT engineers work with customers. As Randy Harmeling, Project Engineer at HTT, explains, “We partner closely with our customers to help them achieve their goals by bringing our experience to solve challenges and improve designs moving forward.”

By combining deep metal stamping expertise with upfront engineering collaboration, we help manufacturers overcome quality issues, optimize designs, and simplify their supply chains. From concept through production, our team is focused on delivering reliable, high-quality components that perform in the real world.

If you are facing challenges with part quality, lead times, or supplier performance, HTT brings the experience and partnership approach needed to move forward with confidence.

Industries: Metal Stamping, Linkage Arm Assemblies, Manufacturing, Reshoring