Case Study: Delivering $137,000 in Cost Savings Through Smarter Tooling & Process Improvements

Customer and Challenge

Industry: Medical Device Manufacturing

A leading U.S.-based manufacturer of precision-engineered medical device components partnered with Butler Bros. to reduce machining costs while maintaining the precision and quality required for implantable and minimally invasive medical devices. Operating in a highly regulated industry, the company sought a more economical tooling strategy and process improvements that would lower cost per part without compromising productivity or part quality.

Butler Bros. Solution

The Butler Bros. technical team evaluated two machining operations and identified opportunities to replace the existing tooling with more cost-effective solutions while optimizing machining performance. Working alongside the customer's engineering team, Butler Bros. recommended alternative tooling from Microcut USA and Kyocera Precision Tools that delivered significantly better cost-per-part performance. Because the customer was willing to evaluate new tooling and validate the process through testing, both projects were successfully implemented.

Project One: Current Tooling to Microcut USA

Results:

• Increased tool life from 120 parts per cutting edge to 400 parts per edge (more than 3× longer tool life).

• Reduced tooling cost per part from $0.361 to $0.090.

• Reduced annual tooling costs from $50,482 to $12,576.

• Reduced annual downtime costs by nearly $12,931.

Annual Savings: $50,836.72.

Project Two: Current Tooling to Kyocera Precision Tools

Results:

• Increased tool life from 60 parts per cutting edge to 80 parts per edge.

• Reduced tooling cost per part from $1.02 to $0.05.

• Reduced annual tooling costs from $85,211 to $4,441.

• Reduced downtime associated with tool changes by more than $5,400 annually.

Annual Savings: $86,258.76.

Combined Results

• Documented annual savings: $137,095.48

• More than 4,500 fewer tool changes each year.

• Significantly lower tooling costs.

• Improved tool life.

• Reduced machine downtime.

• Lower overall cost per part.

  
  

Why This Project Was Successful

The customer's engineering team was open to testing new tooling strategies, while Butler Bros. provided the technical expertise needed to optimize the machining process. This collaborative approach produced measurable improvements and substantial long-term savings.

Looking for Similar Savings?

Many manufacturers assume their machining process is already optimized, but small changes in tooling selection can produce significant savings over time. If you're looking to reduce tooling costs, extend tool life, or improve machining efficiency, contact Butler Bros.