Manufacturing in Mexico – Promises and Possibilities

Posted on April 14, 2013 by SANDMARK Global

Mexico as a manufacturing destination seems like a no-brainer.  Sharing a long border with the world’s largest market (the United States), shared history and culture (increasingly), same time zone, and dramatically lower labor costs compared to US, Mexico has held great promise but failed to capitalize on these advantages.  Among a rather long list of challenges to success have been a government relatively unfriendly to manufacturing and capitalistic principles, social upheavals, lack of infrastructure and investments, corruption and inefficiencies are some of the major.  As a result, Mexico does not show up in the Top 10 desirable manufacturing destinations today.  Most experts predict that in the near future, we can expect no change in Mexico’s position.

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Global Manufacturing Competitiveness – Rankings Today and in 5 Years

Posted on April 12, 2013 by SANDMARK Global

Our April 6 post, Manufacturing Competitiveness Comparison: USA vs China vs India vs Mexico discussed competitiveness of countries SANDMARK operates in.  Deloitte’s report on 2013 global manufacturing competitiveness by country ranks our countries of interest as follows:
Rank #1: China
Rank #3: USA
Rank #4: India
Rank #12: Mexico

Their prediction for rankings of the same countries 5 years from now is as follows:

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Manufacturing Competitiveness Comparison: USA vs China vs India vs Mexico

Posted on April 6, 2013 by SANDMARK Global

Companies looking to manufacture their products need to ask themselves: which region of the world is the most competitive for producing their particular portfolio of products.  This is a critical question for any Company’s profitability and indeed its future viability.  The answer to this question may vary depending on the type of products, but frequently for American Companies, four countries are at the top for consideration: USA, China, India, and Mexico.

Being that we operate in all these four countries, we at SANDMARK have rated each of the four countries for competitiveness in a range of critical metrics.

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SANDMARK Supplies Critical Equipment for Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project at Tonopah

Posted on January 9, 2013 by SANDMARK Global

January 7, 2013, Richmond VA

SANDMARK Global, a leading supplier of custom manufactured products, has been awarded a contract to supply critical equipment for the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project at Tonopah. This is a landmark Solar Thermal Power Generation project being constructed in Nevada, and slated for commissioning in 2013.  More information about the project below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crescent_Dunes_Solar_Energy_Project

http://www.solarreserve.com/what-we-do/csp-projects/crescent-dunes/

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-57373508-76/solar-tower-will-power-las-vegas-at-night/

SANDMARK is supplying Voltage Transformers from ABB , as well as the custom electrical substation components.

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SANDMARK Completes Milestone in Supplying T12 to T5 Fluorescent Lamp Retrofit Kit Subassemblies

Posted on December 14, 2012 by SANDMARK Global

December 14, 2012, Richmond Virginia

SANDMARK Global‘s Contract Manufacturing Division is now supplying production quantities of Fluorescent Lamp Retrofit Kit sub-assemblies to our customer in the USA.  These retrofit kits convert inefficient T12 and T8 fluorescent lamp fixtures into highly efficient T5 lamp systems.

Our customer’s design incorporates patented plug-and-play retrofit capability requiring no wiring or even the need for hand tools, that stand apart from their competitors’ offerings.  The range of offerings of this product line include

  • T12 – T5 retrofit kits
  • T8 – T5 retrofit kits
  • High efficiency T5 electronic ballast kits
  • Delamp kits
  • Bridging kits

SANDMARK’s Ballast Products Portfolio

General Information on Fluorescent Lamp formats and Retrofitting:

http://www.appropedia.org/Linear_Flourescent_Retrofit_%28Upgrading_to_T8_from_T12%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorescent-lamp_formats

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Sheet Metal – Metric Gage Substitutions for Imperial Gage Sheets

Posted on January 26, 2012 by SANDMARK Global

In Asia, sheet metal stock is more commonly available in metric gage rather than imperial (used widely in the USA).  The following table lists the recommended substitutions for imperial gage sheets, when the available stock is metric.

Imperial Gauge Imperial in mm Metric Sheet mm
10 3.25 3.0
12 2.64 2.5
14 2.03 2.0
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Sheet Metal Thickness Tolerances

Posted on November 26, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

What range of tolerances can we expect from standard steel sheet stock used in sheet metal fabrication? The main cause of variability in sheet stock thickness: during the rolling process that produces the sheet stock, a certain amount of “bowing” occurs in the rollers. This results in the sheet being slightly thinner at the edges than at the center of the sheet.

Gage Nominal Max Min 36” sheet 48” sheet
10 0.1345 0.1405 0.1285 0.006 0.009
11 0.1196 0.1256 0.1136 0.005 0.007
12 0.1046 0.1106 0.0986 0.004 0.006
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Carbon Steel Grades Cross Index (Commercial Designations)

Posted on November 26, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

The following table is a list of carbon steels commonly used in industry, along with their alternate names and designations in their worldwide commercial use.

Material Code and Material Name Worldwide Commercial/Alternate Designations
1103, Carbon Steel T-1 T-1; T-1 Type A; T-1 Type B; USS T-1, T-1 Type A, T-1 Type B
1201, High Strength Steel 4130 4130; AISI 4130; SAE 4130; 4130H; UNS G41300, H41300
1203, High Strength Steel 4140 4140; AISI 4140; SAE 4140; 4140H; UNS G41400, J14046
1204, High Strength Steel 4330V 4330V; 4330; 4330 Mod; 4330V Mod; 4330V (Mod+Si); UNS J23260, K23080
1205, High Strength Steel 4335V Mod 4335V Mod; 4335 Mod; UNS K33517
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Machining of Very Large Shafts (Fabricated, Forged, or Cast)

Posted on November 14, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

SANDMARK has the capability to fabricate/forge/cast shafts of large diameter and Continue reading →

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Metals and Materials Testing Capabilities

Posted on August 23, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

At SANDMARK, as part of our full contract manufacturing services, we offer the full range of materials testing, including mechanical testing and chemical analysis. All tests are conducted by NABL accredited labs, with globally accepted procedures. If you require specific and custom tests according to your specifications, we can readily accommodate them, please call with your requirements.

Mechanical Testing

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Checklist for Info. Required in your Castings RFQ

Posted on August 23, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

In order for us to provide you with complete and comprehensive quotes, we appreciate you provide us with the following information in your Castings RFQ packet:

  1. Drawings by Operation (if available): most of our customers provide us with separate drawings for castings and machining for each component. This is very beneficial for all parties and eliminates confusion. For complex parts larger than 3 inches, we recommend you provide a casting drawing based on ISO GD&T, a separate drawing for machining, (and if necessary in some cases) a third drawing for finishing.
  2. Volume and/or Weight: in order for us to quote, we need to know the volume of the part, or weight.
  3. Material and grade: Please specify clearly the material specifications, and also the Continue reading →
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Gear Quality Number (Q-Number)

Posted on August 22, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

SANDMARK can manufacture and supply high quality gears, up to Gear Quality Number AGMA 14 (or DIN 3, or ISO 3).  The Gear Quality Number is also known as the Q-Number or the Gear Quality Grade.  The Q-Number for a gear is a measure of the geometric accuracy level of teeth on the gear.

While the standard used in the USA is set by AGMA (American Gear Manufacturer’s Association) ; other regions of the world use different standards for gear teeth quality. The following table provides a general cross-reference between different standards (JGMA – Japanese Gear Manufacturers Association , ISO – International Organization for Standardization , and DIN – Deutsche Industrial Normen). However, note that there is no Continue reading →

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Gas Nitriding Chromoly and Nitralloy Steels – Minimizing Distortion

Posted on August 17, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

What is Gas Nitriding?

Gas nitriding is a type of case-hardening process whereby nitrogen is introduced into the surface of a solid ferrous alloy (steel) by holding the metal at a suitable temperature in contact with a nitrogenous gas, usually ammonia. The nitriding temperature for steels is between 495 and 565°C (925 and 1050°F).

During nitriding, nitrogen atoms are absorbed into the surface to form hard nitrides. The maximum limit on case depth is about 0.040 inch (1.0 mm) maximum (in certain materials such as Nitralloy 135); typically 0.5 mm or less is achieved in AISI 4000 series steels.

Advantages of Gas Nitriding

Main advantages of gas nitriding are: very low distortion compared to carburizing or conventional hardening. Reason: no quenching is involved, and the nitriding temperatures Continue reading →

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Should Gray Iron Castings be Stress Relieved?

Posted on August 2, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

Some suppliers do not stress relieve gray iron castings, and some do.  As a rule, SANDMARK stress relieves all our gray iron castings.  Common reasons for presence of stresses in castings are: different cooling rates in different parts of the casting after it comes out of the mold (due to complex geometry with varying thicknesses, thin sections, surface/geometry curvatures, etc.).

Over time (periods of months to a year), castings left alone will relax and stresses will dissipate.  During this relaxation period, the geometry and dimensions of the castings will ‘move’ gradually, and eventually stabilize.  However, it is not practical to cast and ‘season’ Continue reading →

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SPOT – Online Order Tracking System

Posted on July 3, 2011 by SANDMARK Global

SPOT – SANDMARK Online, Real-time order tracking system is now available to our customers. This online, web-based tool allows our customers to view, in real-time, the status of all items in the orders that are in process with SANDMARK. The Tracker can be accessed at http://www.sandmarkmfg.com, or from the SANDMARK home page at www.sandmarkglobal.com.

Please contact your SANDMARK Global Account Manager to obtain an username and password for SPOT.

SANDMARK SPOT Logo

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