Case Studies

Supply Chain: A System of Commitments

Project Details

Timeline: 2021

A Quick Sourcing of Carbon Fiber During Pandemic Shutdowns

The pandemic jolted the global economy precisely because the drop in labor and a swift focus of adaptability and process overhaul. With shifts in the labor force, every resource was snapped up by the most valuable accounts, including cargo ship container space. Containers, once priced at $6,000 from Hong Kong to the States, soared to $18,000 over the span of 2 weeks. Even unloading containers became a monumental challenge, as witnessed at the port of Los Angeles, CA. The supply chain was upended, and suddenly, professions as distant as lawn maintenance technicians became acquainted with the term “supply chain”. During this time, Chava Wind had just been approved for all functional testing and given the EPA’s stamp of approval to proceed into the market. But TCF, a major composites manufacturer located of Mexico had reduced supply to only particular accounts and Chava Wind was in need of a new carbon fiber supply. Their patented design required raw material for 4 – 25 meter long blades constructed from 380 GSM, 2×2 weave fiber mats. This was an SOS moment for Chava Wind, luckily Product Print created a new supply in 2 weeks.

Out of Mexico, India, Germany and Japan... Japan Answered Heeded Our Call

Carbon fiber bears a resemblance to fiberglass. Comprising of finely woven strands known as “tow,” these strands are woven into mats. These mats are then layered and infused with epoxy, resulting in a hardened, supremely durable material and strong material. Our challenge was to start with the tow suppliers and process it into the woven mats that Chava Wind required. Typically, carbon fiber is globally sourced from Mexico, India, Germany and Japan. The Product Prints team scoured from the corners of the map and landed on a fortunate phone call with a Mitsubishi carbon tow salesman in California named Mike. Mike went on to describe the landscape of carbon fiber and informed us there was a volume of fiber that was not committed to larger accounts, which would be available to Chava Wind.

Head West for Tow, Bring it East for the Weaver ... Same Cost as TCF? Bingo!

From Mitsubishi, we directed out efforts to a weaver, we landed on the ears of Chris at Chromata North America, who had a few variants of appropriate mat weight and of 2×2 twill pattern. The situation leaned even more in our favor when a weave of this in-spec carbon fiber was made with the Mitsubishi tow, which we knew was a reliable supply thanks to Mike at Mitsubishi. The Chava Wind raw material supply had been secured and commitments to Mitsubishi kept. After strategic negotiations and an aim to uphold commitments across the supply chain, we landed in-spec, 380 gsm 2×2 twill at $19.26 / Linear Yard, at a lower cost than Chava Wind’s previous vendor, we were set. This raw material BOM cost for carbon fiber was $5,400 plus shipping for each turbine construction. But what now?

Raw Material Secured. Trust Enforced. Product Tooling Underway.

With trust reinforced, it was time to secure a production tooling provider for Chava Wind. Fulfilling our commitments to the entire supply chain and our customer, created relationships we hold to this day and revere Hagen Ruff at Chava Wind as a Maverick and a trustworthy friend in the energy generation space. Sharp as a tack and honorable efforts to support sustainable energy, our doors will always be open to Hagen Ruff and the Chava Wind team. Our composites expertise grow with them to this day.

Our Ethos and Commitment to Our Clients

In our business ethos, clients transcend being mere revenue streams. They are esteemed partners, pivotal in propelling the global economy. For us, the relationships nurtured in production will always outweigh any challenge. With our unwavering core business values, success isn’t just an aim – it’s an inevitability. We are committed to excellence in our quest to develop leading edge machinery and products for our customers and partners, pandemic or not.