Manufacturer focuses on inventive solutions to everyday problems
October, 2023- Manufacturer focuses on inventive solutions to everyday problems
Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not,” wrote Pablo Picasso in “Metamorphoses of the Human Form: Graphic Works, 1895-1972.” Mountain Home, Idaho-based Inventive Products was launched asking a similar question.
“Although Inventive started in 2007 to help supply the towing and tow truck industry with accessories that would be easy to install and make peoples’ lives easier, the true start of the company goes back to the mid-1990s,” says Chuck Ceccarelli, regional director of excitement, platinum status. At that time, Ceccarelli had a small towing company in Bruneau, Idaho. “I started making accessories for our tow trucks, such as shovel holders and trash can mounts, and other towing companies started bringing trucks to have them retrofitted with the products we were making.”
One day, a driver crashed one of Ceccarelli’s trucks. He called several dealers to inquire about repairs and became frustrated with the service. “We felt we could do a better job, so my wife and I started Idaho Wrecker Sales. As time went on, I realized we were spending a lot of time customizing each tow truck, and I thought we could create standardized products that a company could easily install. There weren’t any reliable manufacturers that were willing to build small-production-run items, so I decided to go all-in and start In the Ditch Towing Products in 2007.”
Inventive’s PowerLift adjustable height welding tables were designed, tested and are used daily by the company’s welders
Inventive Group has four material towers and full automation feeding two lasers, and also runs a tube laser.
Now under the umbrella corporation, Inventive Group, In the Ditch Towing Products has been joined by Inventive Products, Razorback Offroad UTV Accessories and Fish Fighter Products. The group is no longer a small tow truck repair operation; the footprint equals 65,000 square feet on 6 acres.
NEW FACILITY, NEW PARTNERSHIP
In 2020, Ceccarelli and the Inventive Group team were working on designing a new facility. “We’ve always considered ourselves stakeholders with our suppliers, and we were pretty entrenched with our laser manufacturer. We had run their machines for years and didn’t have any plans to change,” Ceccarelli says. As part of their due diligence, though, they invited Elgin, Illinois-based machine tool manufacturer Mazak to the table. “They were a great help. We switched to Mazak in our new facility and have not looked back.”
Throughout its operations, the Inventive Group runs Mazak 2D lasers, automation and a tube laser. According to Mazak, in addition to the ability to flex capacity, automation makes one-piece flow more practical while producing short-run efficiencies that reduce non-value-added fabricating time.
Typically, automation can produce up to a 50 percent increase in capacity as compared to standalone machines and a significant reduction in lead times. “We used to manually load sheets into the machines, and now we have four material towers and full automation feeding two 8kW lasers,” comments Ceccarelli.
Inventive Group’s tube laser is the FT-150 FIBER, which also features automation. This machine was designed to reduce non-cutting process cycle times and cut at high speeds. It features a proprietary agile U-axis that helps facilitate speed and accuracy. The fiber tube laser uses a 2.5D torch with focus detection, and the programmable B-axis enables bevel cutting which, in turn, facilitates improved welding, multi-tube assembly, fit and finish. Ceccarelli says the transition to the new equipment was easy, especially with Mazak providing the training and continuing education. He also points out that a crucial feature of the Mazak equipment is its “people and how accessible they are when we have a problem.”
Mazak is committed to being available when customers have problems or questions, and an example of that is the recent expansion of its parts department to increase capacity, streamline operations and help keep customers’ facilities running smoothly. According to Mazak, the parts department maintains a 97 percent same-day shipping rate, and the parts team prioritizes responding to customer requests as quickly as possible, flagging urgent requests, such as “machine down,” so they receive immediate attention and the machine is back up and running with as little delay as possible.
The FT-150 FIBER facilitates improved welding, multi-tube assembly, fit and finish.
ALWAYS IMPROVING
As it has grown, Inventive Group has focused on improving its Lean principles and studying the Toyota Production System. One of the guiding principles of the Toyota system is to teach and learn. “With that mindset, we have been offering free tours to any manufacturer who wants to learn about our Lean journey,” says Ceccarelli. “During all these tours, people ask us how they can buy the Lean items we use in our company.
“We always felt we can do a better job at designing and building things,” he says, citing Inventive Products’ PowerLift weld tables, which were built entirely on employee feedback. “We worked with our production welders and asked them what their dream welding table would look like. They all said they wished it would adjust up and down so they could weld without bending over.”
That comment initiated the design of the tables, which have a powered adjustable height from 34 inches to 50 inches and include a control panel that is programmable to save up to four preset heights. “Then that evolved into making PowerLift desks, worktables and work benches. Our 100 employees are having the time of their lives building products and enjoying how they improve people’s lives.”
Inventive Group, 208/580-1904, http://inventiveproductsinc.com/
Mazak Optonics Corp., 847/252-4500, http://mazakoptonics.com/
