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AOTCO's Factory-in-Factory, Dedicated Capacity Program Means You Maintain Control – Without the Headache

Controlling production processes, lead times and quality control is critical – especially for advanced manufacturers. These elements play an important role in every aspect of business success. If you find yourself at a crossroads with your surface finishing needs and considering a dedicated plating line, you’re far from alone.

The benefits of having dedicated plating lines are clear and include:
  • Improved control over lead times.
  • Consistent management of product quality and quality assurance.
  • Improved responsiveness to evolving market conditions and production reordering.
operatons
However, establishing and maintaining these facilities comes with significant challenges, including:
  • Financial: Operating expenses and capital.
  • Cost: Higher cost per finished part due to underutilization of assets.
  • Time: Lengthy and uncertain setup period of the plating operation.
  • Regulatory: Obtaining and maintaining all relevant permits.
  • Personnel: Recruiting, training, and managing specialized labor.
  • Dilution of focus: Diverting attention and time away from core activities.
  • Expertise dead-end: Limited awareness of advancements in surface finishing technologies.

Simply put, running your own dedicated plating and metal finishing lines can be a huge headache and liability.

Plating

This is where AOTCO’s Reserve Capacity Program comes in. By partnering with AOTCO, manufacturers can access exclusive factory space, dedicated plating lines, and advanced surface finishing capabilities without the need to own and operate their own facilities. AOTCO’s program offers a unique combination of flexibility, expertise, and state-of-the-art infrastructure, allowing you to focus on your core operations while ensuring your plating needs are met with the highest standards of quality and efficiency.

Get In Touch About AOTCO’s Reserve Capacity Program

Traditional Options for Finishing Lines vs
Factory-in-Factory

Advanced manufacturers typically face three choices when considering their plating needs: build their own facility, buy an existing one, or work with a plating provider. Each option comes with its own set of challenges and risks.
Building

Building a Plating Facility

Building a dedicated plating facility from the ground up requires significant investment in both time and money. The initial capital expenditure for land, construction, equipment, and staffing is substantial.

Plus, manufacturers must navigate a complex landscape of regulatory and environmental compliance, which can be both time-consuming and costly. The ongoing operational costs and the need for specialized labor add to the burden, making this option the least attractive for most companies.

Purchasing

Buying a Plating Facility

Purchasing an existing facility can mitigate some of the initial setup costs, but it comes with its own risks. Existing facilities may require extensive upgrades to meet modern standards, and there may be hidden issues related to environmental compliance or outdated equipment.

On top of that, the integration of a new facility into existing operations can also be challenging and disruptive.

Oursourcing

Outsourcing Plating Needs to a Provider

This is the most common way to meet plating and finishing needs, by working with a provider and outsourcing that work. For most organizations, partnering with a trusted and reliable plater is perfectly sufficient. AOTCO, for instance, provides a number of specialty electroplating, anodizing, and other metal surface finishing services to clients across industries and has solidified a reputation for outstanding quality and speedy turnarounds.

But what about organizations that need dedicated equipment and production resources, greater control over production, and priority access to expansion capacity for peak periods? Many manufacturers benefit from having their own dedicated plating facility – especially when it comes with no regulatory or administrative headaches.

That’s where AOTCO’s dedicated factory-in-factory reserve capacity comes in.

Explore AOTCO’s Exclusive Reserve Capacity Program

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New State-of-the-Art Facility in Massachusetts

Dedicated plating, anodizing, and surface finishing capacity are available at AOTCO’s new 50,000-square-foot facility in Billerica, Massachusetts.

This facility is designed to meet the needs of advanced manufacturers in a variety of industries, providing the resources and infrastructure necessary to achieve production goals. The facility also supports large-part processing, hoist-line, and high-volume production, complementing the services offered at our additional three facilities across New England. 

What does this mean for you? By participating in the exclusive reserve capacity program, you can install your own production line in our brand-new, state-of-the-art facility while we handle labor, permits, environmental compliance, and all other administrative tasks.

AOTCO Accreditations and Compliance

Our team has decades of experience handling critical, complex, and sensitive jobs across a variety of industries from aerospace to defense to medical and more. AOTCO is NADCAP accredited, ITAR registered, ISO certified, and RoHS compliant. Certifications and accreditations include:

NQA_ISO13485 NQA_AS9100_CMYK_UK NQA_ISO9001_CMYK ANAB Itar Compliant Logo (blue, circular) Nadcap
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Finishing Expertise and Support

While the Reserve Capacity Program gives you access and space for your own plating production lines, that doesn’t mean you’re going it alone. AOTCO is America’s trusted provider of finishing services in large part because of the support and expertise we bring to each and every job. 

Our team of experienced metal finishing professionals is on hand to help you ensure all production processes are optimized for efficiency and quality. Have a more complex problem?  Our in-house research and development group AOTCO Labs is available to help solve your most complex challenges, from bringing new products to life to discovering scalable solutions.

Learn more about AOTCO Labs

Tailored Finishing Solutions for Every Need

The biggest benefit of the AOTCO Reserved Capacity Program is that it’s tailored to your finishing needs – your metal finishing lines, your timeline, and your production volumes.

Three different service levels are available, depending on those needs.

Standard Service Icon

Standard Service

The Standard Service level is ideal for businesses requiring flexibility and certainty for their finishing needs without large, consistent production volumes. Standard Service offers a first-in, first-out (FIFO) processing approach with the ability to scale up production as needed to accommodate seasonal surges or large contracts. Shared account teams and production resources ensure efficient handling of your various plating process needs.
Priority Processing Icon

Priority Processing

For businesses needing greater operational and supply chain certainty, Priority Processing offers guaranteed lead times for committed volumes and priority access when requested. This service level includes an assigned account manager and shared production resources to meet your finishing requirements reliably.
Exclusive Capacity

Exclusive Capacity

Our most comprehensive offering, Exclusive Capacity, is perfect for companies with significant and steady demand for finishing services. This service provides the benefits of owning a plating facility without the regulatory and administrative burdens. The program operates under your production schedules, effectively extending your operations with exclusive lines and production resources tailored to your specifications.

Industry-Specific Applications and Plating Lines

The Reserved Capacity Program is expertly designed to cater to the nuanced demands of various industries, ensuring that each sector receives the most appropriate and effective plating solutions for high-quality and timely output.

Here's how the program supports different industries:

Aerospace & Defense
Medical Devices
Electronics and Telecommunications
Clean Energy
Optical and Semiconductor

Aerospace & Defense

Aerospace & Defense

Aerospace & Defense

Reliability and adherence to stringent safety standards are non-negotiable in the aerospace and defense industries. AOTCO’s Dedicated Reserve Capacity Program offers exclusive access to dedicated electroless and electrolytic nickel plating lines, specifically set up for aerospace components. This exclusive capacity ensures that parts can withstand extreme conditions without compromising on quality or delivery deadlines, adhering to NADCAP and ITAR registration requirements.

Learn more about Aerospace Finishing and Military Plating

Medical Devices

Medical Devices

Medical Devices

AOTCO’s program provides dedicated capacity for processes like passivation and electropolishing, vital for achieving the highest standards of cleanliness and biocompatibility required in the medical room. This dedicated setup, including access to a clean room, allows for stringent control over production environments, ensuring that medical components are consistently produced in compliance with current ISO 13485 standards for medical devices.

Learn more about metal finishing for medical applications

Electronics and Telecommunications

Electric Communications

Electronics and Telecommunications

Electronics and telecommunications sectors demand quick adaptation to technology advancements with reliable electrical properties that offer corrosion resistance and wear protection. The Reserved Capacity Program includes dedicated lines for silver plating, copper plating, tin reflow processes, and more ensuring high conductivity and durability of electronic components. This capability is crucial for manufacturers looking to maintain innovation speed and product reliability.

Learn more about finishing solutions for the electrical and telecoms industry

Clean Energy

Clean Energy

Clean Energy

In response to the growing demand for clean energy, AOTCO has tailored its Reserved Capacity Program to support the production of highly durable and efficient components for hydrogen technology and clean energy applications. 

Learn more about finishing for the clean energy future

Optical and Semiconductor

SemiConductor

Optical and Semiconductor

When precision is paramount, such as optical and semiconductor manufacturing, meeting tight standards and managing risk are essential. From exotic substrates to ultra-thin layers to complex geometries, AOTCO provides the necessary specialized plating lines. This allows for precise control over the plating processes and materials used, mitigating the risks associated with variability in production quality – which is crucial for applications where even minor deviations can compromise the entire device's functionality.

Learn more about surface finishing for the optics industry and semiconductor plating

Dedicated Plating Line for You

By providing dedicated plating lines tailored to the specific needs of each industry, AOTCO helps businesses achieve optimal results with their products, ensuring that they meet both functional and regulatory requirements with precision and reliability.

  • Electroless nickel plating lines
  • Electrolytic nickel plating lines
  • Electropolishing and passivation lines
  • Gold plating lines
  • Silver plating lines
  • Plating on magnesium lines
  • Tin reflow, hot solder dip and hot tin dip
  • Dedicated capacity for masking 
  • Dedicated capacity for inspection and quality control 
  • And more!

FAQs About AOTCO’s Dedicated Capacity Program

How does the program work?

The AOTCO Reserve Capacity Program provides manufacturers with dedicated access to AOTCO's state-of-the-art plating facilities and resources. This allows organizations to control their production processes without the need for facility ownership.

Who is the program for?

The program is ideal for manufacturers in a range of industries including aerospace and defense, electronics, medical, optical, clean energy, telecommunications, semiconductor, and other advanced sectors. 

In particular, this program benefits:

  • Companies with rapidly expanding sales.
  • Companies that are looking to outsource non-core activities.
  • Companies that want to take advantage of a deeper pool of plating and anodizing expertise.

What is the initial investment to participate?

The initial investment varies depending on the level of service and specific requirements of the client. We work with each manufacturer to develop a tailored solution that meets your needs and budget.
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What Is the minimum commitment of production volume?

The minimum commitment of production volume depends on the service level and specific needs of the client. We offer flexible options to accommodate different production volumes and requirements.

How are lead times and deadlines for delivery ensured?

We guarantee lead times and delivery deadlines through tiered service offerings. Priority Processing and Exclusive Capacity levels provide expedited services and dedicated resources to meet urgent production needs.

How is control over the product guaranteed?

Manufacturers have dedicated access to AOTCO's facilities and resources, allowing them to oversee and manage production processes effectively while also benefiting from a collaborative partnership with AOTCO.

Seamless Integration With Your Operations

AOTCO's Reserve Capacity Program provides a cost-effective and flexible solution to meet the diverse needs of modern manufacturing. The program is designed to operate as an extension of your business, seamlessly integrating into your existing operations and allowing you to scale production as needed.  The result: unparalleled control, efficiency, and quality assurance for your metal finishing needs.

To explore how the AOTCO Reserve Capacity Program can benefit your business
Contact Us Today!