Driving Consistent Quality at Scale

Tooling Technology Supply (TTS) has a simple goal: to create the highest quality products it can with quick turnaround times. Its long-term partnership with ZOLLER is one of the keys to its success.

User-Friendly Operations

Frank Weisskoef, President of TTS, invested in the ZOLLER »pomBasic« more than twenty years ago. It made it simple for operators to measure the radius, angles, and step length of a tool. 

“The biggest advantage from the »pomBasic«, is you have different magnifications, so you can really zoom…into a tool, and it's easy to handle. It's easy to handle by any employee here because there's nothing you can do wrong,” he said.

When he eventually hit the limits of what the »pomBasic« could do, Weisskoef added a ZOLLER »smartcheck« to the shopfloor. The larger tool measurement machine offered more high-precision optics without sacrificing ease of use.  

“You have all these pictures which are self-explained, so you can choose whatever you do,” Weisskoeff said. “You can build your own program, and it's easy for the employees as well. You still get an accurate measurement all the time.”

Quality at Scale

Along with their easy-to-use interfaces, the »pomBasic« and »smartcheck« also boast state-of-the-art technologies. They are both certified tool measuring machines capable of handling the high-volume, high-quality demands of the automotive industry.  

“You can make tools the first time, maybe ten tools for tests, and they work fine,” said Weisskoeff. “But you have to ensure that the tools work in the long run, especially if you have automotive customers. They make millions of parts; they buy hundreds of tools. So, you have to make sure every single tool works the same way.”

With the »pomBasic« and »smartcheck«, TTS can deliver reliable results across operators and production runs.

Reduced Downtime

In addition to ZOLLER hardware, TTS has also invested in ZOLLER CAD software to decrease downtime. Weisskoeff explained that you don’t need a grinder who does the programming to operate the ZOLLER machine, so even crew who have “no clue” about tools can do the measuring.

“ZOLLER came with this CAD software, which was, in my opinion, right away a total go,” he said. “I always saw it as a great feature and a big benefit because…it saves you time you cannot imagine.”

Streamlined Production Workflow

Using ZOLLER CAD software also meant that TTS employees could export their 3D file and measure the tool without having to program it on the machine. Weisskoeff said it has reduced bottlenecks by freeing up employees for other tasks.

“If you imagine you have a tool with a lot of steps and a lot of features, you're standing there for half an hour to get this program done, and this is not acceptable because we lose a lot of time,” Weisskopf explained. “In the meanwhile, you could have ground another tool or maybe two.”

“With the CAD software, you can just program the tool independently and it's done.”

First-Rate Equipment & Customer Service

Ultimately, Weisskopf keeps coming back to ZOLLER not only because he knows the equipment can do the job, but because he values the ZOLLER partnership and support of ZOLLER experts. 

“Equipment, of course, is top-notch equipment, and this is what we need to ensure our quality,” he said. “Anytime we had any problems — which were really minimal — we could ask anybody in this company and we always got a nice answer, and we got the right answer right away.”

“If you're loyal to a machine manufacturer, you grow with them as well,” he added.