Bringing Western standards of quality to Eastern manufacturing.

Challenge: One of our customers for HVAC parts asked us to find a source for gas furnace manifolds that was less expensive than his U.S. manufacturer – but met the same quality standards. We had already earned this customer’s trust as a dependable supply management partner. We had no intention of letting down one of our valued customers.

Solution: We found a manufacturer in China who could bend steel tubing to our customer’s exact specifications at a far lower cost. Our job was to make sure the gas manifolds were of consistent quality and that the insides were free of rust – a critical criterion for gas furnace parts.

Working with the manufacturer, we developed a proprietary process that ensures each manifold is rust-free. The process undergoes constant evaluation and improvement under close on-site supervision by a trained and experienced supplier quality engineer. As a final check, the parts are inspected according to AQL when they arrive in the U.S.

Result: After five years, our customer still relies on APR for price, quality and delivery of gas furnace manifolds.

Dependability at work.

Challenge: When an HVAC manufacturer was finally fed up with the service he was getting from his supplier, he turned to a more dependable supply chain management partner – APR. The supplier in question held a patent on a rubber grommet. It was just a simple rubber seal that kept gas from escaping from a furnace. But since it was the only solution available, the supplier held all the cards. The customer asked us if we could find an alternative rubber product.

Solution: We designed a new rubber seal ourselves – one that worked just as well as the patented rubber grommet – and cost 30% less.

Result: Our customer no longer had to deal with the inflexible supplier of the patented grommet – and saved 30% as well.