July 26, 2016 Spring Solutions

Volume 5 | Issue 5

From sun visors to tape decks, Automatic Spring products puts the bounce in numerous products.

When leading OEMs look for suppliers, one of the primary issues is whether the supplier is committed to providing superior quality and service at competitive pricing levels. Automatic Spring Products, based in Grand Haven, Mich., is completely capable of delivering to customers those advantages through the application of its unique technologies. Automatic Spring provides full solutions for all customer needs, beginning with concept design and development, through prototyping, tooling, production, heat treating, to finishing and assembly.

The applications that Automatic Spring supplies are numerous and far-reaching. Springs and precision metal parts facilitate function of many simple to complex mechanisms: The sun visor in the car flips up and down into the correct position; the small door on the cassette tape player remains closed. The transmission shifts and holds a car’s power in check, until the brake components bring it to a stop. Metal clips and fasteners bind the car together. The seatbelt adjuster keeps it at a comfortable height. Clips secure the walls of office cubicles, and the desk drawers slide out to the right distances. On other levels, critical medical and military equipment functions properly. These, and many more, are the results of the work of Automatic Spring Products.

Automatic Spring is a technology-driven manufacturer that supports myriad product types, configurations, and volume levels in a changing market. This organization is a major supplier to the automotive industry for interior and drive systems, the appliance and hand-tool industries, the office furniture industry, and to farm and industrial systems. Automatic Spring also works to provide custom-designed metal parts for specialized mechanisms. Its primary products include wire forms, flat springs, precision stampings, shim washers, compression, extension, and torsion springs, as well as spring clips and assemblies. The company has a broad product and customer base, serving multiple markets of varied sizes.

It is the principal objective of Automatic Spring Products to provide quality products with high performance standards to the current market with competitive prices. This QS-9000 and ISO-14001 registered organization strives for excellence in service and customer support, and consistently guarantees that customers have made the best decision for their needs in the industry. President Steve Moreland explains, “With all the mergers, bankruptcies, ownership changes and leveraged buyouts we’ve seen in our industry, we have remained a stable and reliable source of high quality products for our customers. We are dedicated to earning their trust every day.” Automatic Spring takes ownership in every business partnership, and is therefore committed to overcoming all obstacles in the process.

Automatic Spring has earned the trust of customers by effectively facing and responding to the challenges of the market. The company maintains a high level of quality in technology, products, and service. Costs are competitive, especially taking into account the level of service this organization provides.

“We work very closely with our customers to help them develop their concepts and needs into workable designs that will be manufactured to high quality standards, cost effectively. Involvement from the beginning ensures precision and quality,” says Moreland, emphasizing the importance of cross-functional team design in company involvement.

The quality and dependability characteristic of Automatic Spring is also time-efficient. Value engineering reduces costs, while Automatic Spring provides full product support. This begins with the design, continues through prototyping, and finally follows through to the launch of the finished product. The entire organization is vertically integrated in key processes to ensure quality, enhanced performance, and rapid response to customers. This facilitates such processes as on-site phosphate treatment, heat treatment and setting, as well as dimensional control technology. Automatic Spring also is equipped to weld, stake, package, assemble, and test its products, as well as integrate manufactured and purchased components into automated and manual assemblies. Customers receive maximum value and service.

Long History of Achievement
Behind Automatic Spring Products is a very rich and successful history. The organization began as a manufacturer of vertical blinds in 1950 by Moreland’s grandfather, Foster Poe. A legacy of integrity and dependability was built in the first quarter century, expanded by Moreland’s father, Darell, for the next 20 years and continues under Moreland’s leadership today. The company has grown steadily; from its first year of production of only a few thousand precision metal to exceeding 700 million pieces annually. Foster took the company from its early start and helped to establish it as a successful business during his tenure, setting the tone and culture of the organization. Darell, with his technical, hands-on understanding of the business, placed Automatic Spring Products on the map in the U.S. and Moreland hopes to build on his father’s and grandfather’s successes to put the company on a global scale.

The success of Automatic Spring is driven specifically by its nearly 300 employees. “We have an extremely caring culture of people with a very strong knowledge base,” says Moreland. “They care about each other and about the entire organization.” Moreland listens to the workers, and this, in turn, helps the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire company. During regularly scheduled meetings with all employees, Moreland informs them of the market conditions, product performance, customer satisfaction levels and future plans for the organization. Excellent employee feedback and suggestions drive performance improvements throughout the company.

Moreland plans to increase the success of the organization by focusing different sectors of the organization on the various product lines. He explains, “By multiplying our organizational efforts with our technological advantages, each individual technology can develop at a faster pace.”

Technology, Customer Trust is Key to Success
For Automatic Spring, these individual technologies are the key to success in today’s markets. The company has a huge product offering maintained by detailed plans to cover a significant portion of all market needs, with strategies to remain a leader in very specific areas of the market. Exceptional performance, cost efficiency, and effective timing are all pivotal to earning the trust and loyalty of customers, as well as maintaining business integrity. For the far corners of markets not directly serviced by Automatic Spring, the organization has developed strong relationships with reliable suppliers, creating a highly integrated enterprise in which the customer trusts.

Customer trust is evident in the recent results, as Automatic Spring has significantly broadened its customer base. “Automatic Spring was chosen over current competition for its dedication to ultimate technological expertise, excellent service, quality, and value,” said Moreland. Over the last three months, the organization took over manufacturing of at least 250 new products for several different customers. These customers recognized Automatic Spring’s commitment to meet the increasing expectations of the industry.

The company has recently completed an additional 53,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Grand Haven, Mich., to meet the growing demands of the market. Moreland stresses the importance of meeting the needs of the customer. “We are developing strong business relationships, based on integrity. To succeed, we start by better understanding our customers’ needs.” Once these are understood, Automatic Spring strives to deliver the quality. The company currently has plans to develop a service center in Mexico for technical support and controlled inventory.

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