Contract manufacturing: Sorgato’s services

In this article, we will introduce you in detail to Sorgato’s contract manufacturing service. After explaining what is meant by contract manufacturing and in which phases the service is generally articulated, we will focus on our specific experience as a company.

Contract manufacturing: phases and processes

Contract manufacturing is an industrial service in which a company specializing in specific processes manufactures products, plant components or individual parts on commission on behalf of other companies, following the specifications provided.

This process involves several organizational steps and usually involves several processes. The goal is to ensure high-quality results that meet the customer’s needs.

In general, contract manufacturing involves:

1. Initial technical discussion with the customer. Depending on the case, the client company can provide complete executive projects or a drawing with general guidelines to be respected. The second situation is quite frequent and describes well the conditions in which the Sorgato team usually operates: our technical department receives a basic drawing that requires further design specifications in the pre-production phase. In this phase, the customer’s technicians and the company that carries out the production on behalf of third parties interface to be sure to define the project specifications correctly.

2. Design and planning. After understanding the customer’s needs, the technical department dedicates itself  to the detailed design, when necessary, and to the planning of the production process. The goal is to prepare everything necessary to effectively manage the subsequent production phases, respecting the established times and ensuring results that meet the customer’s expectations.

3. Procurement of raw materials. The careful selection of raw materials is essential to ensure the quality of the plant components or individual parts produced. For example, for metals such as stainless steel, special steels and aluminum, it is essential to use quality raw materials that respond well to subsequent processing.

4. Processing and production. The production phase involves several processes, depending on the specific experience of the company offering the third-party production service. In the case of Sorgato, the main processes we can offer are:

• Laser cutting or plasma cutting of metals, with technologies chosen according to the degree of precision required, the size and the type of material to be processed.
• Calendering: shaping of metal in a curved shape, using rollers with parallel axes. The process precisely defines the radius of curvature and makes it possible to make pipes, pipelines and tanks.
• Press-bending: a technique used to bend metal sheets. In the process, the force is properly calibrated, so as not to damage the metal and allow precise bending.
• Drilling: The process creates holes and openings in the material, serving as the basis for future component assemblies. As a result, this process requires the utmost precision, both in the calculation of distances and in terms of the size of the holes.
• Turning: the  workpiece to be turned, fixed to a spindle, rotates to allow the cutting tool to remove metal chips. In this way, the workpiece reaches its final shape by successive removals.
• TIG and MIG welding and weld cleaning: Depending on the type of process and material to be welded and the expected processing times, one or the other welding technique can be chosen. To complete this phase, we finish the welds with a thorough cleaning action, to make the piece perfect and ensure the safety of the customer’s operators.
• Surface finish: in our case, the surface finishing phase mainly includes brushing the stainless steel.

5. Quality Control & Customer Delivery: Final quality control ensures that the products meet all required specifications. Through tests and verifications, we identify and correct any defects. With the completion of the processing and the final verification, the products are ready for delivery to the customer.

Let’s now take a closer look at the Sorgato contract manufacturing service, to better understand what types of needs it responds to.

Sorgato solutions for contract manufacturing

Unlike what happens in the converting sector, a sector in which we often produce for foreign countries, our third-party production service is mainly aimed at companies in the Treviso and Veneto area, namely the areas closest to our headquarters.

We work on drawings sent by customers: however, as we have already specified, in most cases it is not a working drawing. As a result, our technicians develop an engineering intervention before starting the production and processing phase.

We work in particular for the food and tobacco industry, producing components, plant and machinery parts and pipelines. These are special processes on materials such as carbon steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, stainless steel.

The result of the processes is individual components or “semi-finished” machinery. Sorgato, in fact, can also deal with the assembly of pneumatic, electropneumatic and mechanical components. In the contract manufacturing process, we pay particular attention to:

• Comply with the geometries requested by the customer in a very precise way. This also happens in the presence of complex or specialized processes.
• Guarantee the excellent quality of workmanship and finishes. Some of the industries we work for, such as the food industry, require high quality standards. Among the most requested specifications, in these or other areas, are the perfect deburring of the sheets, the absence of sharp edges or sharp profiles, the quality of the welds.

Our team works by seeking  the highest quality in the finished product, just as we do when we work to create dust extraction systems or other machinery for the converting sector.

In the case of contract manufacturing, of course, there is no customization of the projects, since we work on a drawing in which the required specifications are already defined. However, even in this area, we maintain a consultative approach to the customer.

What does it mean? That we are open to listening and dialogue at every stage to identify the best solutions, with the aim of ensuring the quality of the product and the efficiency and safety of the plant in which it will be inserted.

Are you looking for a reliable and technically prepared contract manufacturing company? Contact our team!