If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve already worked with Falan, or you’re curious about the small, high-performance components that power everything from industrial robotics to medical device assembly—and I know, because I’m the supplier who’s been standing behind those components for the past seven years. For anyone who’s partnered with Falan, you know we’ve always prioritized consistency: delivering parts that meet tight tolerances, sticking to delivery windows, and showing up when a custom order needs a little extra problem-solving. But lately, more of you have asked: “What’s next for Falan?” Not the generic “we’ll grow” kind of next, but specific, actionable plans that tie back to the things our customers (that means you) care about most. Today, I want to pull back the curtain on the real, unglamorous work we’re doing to improve Falan—work that doesn’t just look good on a website, but makes your job easier. Falan
Let’s start with the gap we’ve been hearing about most over the last two years: lead times for custom prototype parts. When a customer comes to us with a one-off design for a new medical device component, they’re usually racing against their own project timeline—months, sometimes weeks, to get a prototype tested before regulatory deadlines hit. Last year, we had a customer in the automotive industry who waited 22 days for a precision gear prototype, and by the time it arrived, their engineering team had already moved on to a backup supplier. That’s on us. Our current prototype line was built for high-volume production, not the rush of custom, low-volume orders, and we’ve been slow to separate the two. So our first big plan for 2024 and 2025 is dedicated prototype capacity. We’re clearing 1,200 square feet of our main production floor to build a prototype-only cell, staffed by a team of three machinists who specialize in custom, small-batch orders. This isn’t just adding a few new machines: we’re investing in a state-of-the-art CNC lathe that can switch between three different materials (titanium, stainless steel, and high-grade plastic) in one setup, without re-calibrating. That alone will cut prototype lead times by 40%—we’re targeting an average of 13 days by the end of next year. We’re also testing a new 3D printing process for non-structural prototype parts, which could bring that lead time down to 7 days for simple designs. The goal here isn’t faster parts—it’s giving you more time to test, adjust, and get your products to market.
Next up is quality control, a part of our operation that’s never “done,” but we know we’ve been inconsistent. Last quarter, three separate customers flagged minor dimensional discrepancies in our aluminum brackets—nothing that would cause a part to fail, but enough to require rework, which adds time to their projects. We’ve relied on manual spot checks for years, but manual checks miss small shifts in machine calibration, especially over long production runs. So our second plan is a full overhaul of our quality assurance (QA) system. We’re investing in three coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) that will scan every part we produce, not just sample 5% of them. These CMMs will automatically log every measurement, so if a part is off, we can trace it back to a machine’s calibration within 10 minutes, instead of spending hours digging through paper logs. We’re also adding a layer of in-process QA checks, where a technician will pull 10 parts from every production run at the halfway point, not just at the end. This way, if a machine starts drifting, we can adjust it before we make 100 bad parts, not 500. To make sure this sticks, we’re partnering with a local metrology expert to train our QA team on how to use these new machines, and we’re implementing a monthly audit process—no excuses for missed checks.
Another pain point we’ve heard from large customers is communication. When you place a big order for 5,000 parts, you want to know exactly where it is at every stage: raw material arrival, machining, finishing, shipping. For years, we’ve relied on weekly email updates, which are slow and easy to miss, especially when supply chains get tight. Our plan here is to build a custom, user-friendly portal for all Falan customers. This portal won’t be a generic software that makes you navigate 10 different tabs—it’s built specifically around what you need: real-time order tracking, digital access to all part drawings and QA reports, and a direct line to your account manager. We’re launching a beta version with 10 of our largest customers next month, and we’re already tweaking it based on their feedback: adding a feature that sends an alert when raw material arrives, and another that lets you approve a rush order request without waiting for a phone call. By the end of next year, every customer will have access to this portal, and we’re testing it with small-business customers too, to make sure it’s not just for large orders. The last thing we want is a tool that’s more work than it’s worth.
Now, I know you’re also asking: what about sustainability? It’s not just a buzzword—it matters for your own ESG reports, and it matters to us. Our current operation generates about 1,200 pounds of metal scrap every month, much of it small chips and offcuts that can’t be recycled. Our plan to cut that waste starts with optimizing our CNC programming. We’re hiring a programming specialist who will map out every production run to minimize leftover material—for example, nesting small parts together on a single piece of metal, so we use every inch. We’re also partnering with a local metal recycler that specializes in high-grade titanium and stainless steel scrap, which used to be thrown away, and now they’ll process it for us to reuse in new production. We’re targeting a 30% reduction in metal waste by the end of 2025, and we’re switching to 100% LED lighting in our production facility this year, plus installing energy-efficient motors on all our machines to cut our electricity use by 20%. This isn’t just good for the planet—it’s good for your costs, too: less waste means lower overhead, which we’re passing on as stable pricing for repeat customers.
Let’s get real for a second: none of these plans would matter if we didn’t have the team to execute them. For years, our machinists have been doing double duty, covering multiple shifts to meet demand, and that’s led to burnout. So our biggest, most important plan is investing in our people. We’re offering a new apprenticeship program for local skilled workers, pairing new hires with senior machinists for 12 months of on-the-job training, with a guaranteed full-time job at the end. We’re also raising starting wages for all production staff by 15% this year, and adding a performance bonus for teams that hit both quality and delivery targets. We’re also scheduling mandatory paid time off for all staff, so no one is working 60-hour weeks just to keep up. Because the truth is, a burnt-out machinist can’t produce the consistent, high-quality parts you rely on. We’re also expanding our engineering team by two positions, so we can take on more custom projects—last year, we turned down 12 small-batch custom orders because our engineering team was stretched too thin. This year, we’re saying yes to all of them.
I know what some of you are thinking: “Plans are great, but how do I know you’ll actually follow through?” That’s a fair question. We’re not making empty promises. Every quarter, we’ll send a public update to all our customers, with concrete numbers: prototype lead times, scrap reduction rates, portal adoption rates. If we miss a target, we’ll explain why, and what we’re doing to fix it. Last year, we set a target to cut delivery times by 10%, and we hit it by 12% because we adjusted our shipping partner midway through the year—we’re transparent about wins and losses, not just the wins.
For those of you who work with us already, you’ve seen the small steps we’ve taken lately: adding a second shift on Fridays for urgent orders, switching to a more reliable shipping carrier, even staying late to fix a part that was wrong before it left our facility. These plans are the next big step, but they’re built on the relationships we’ve built with you over the years. Falan isn’t just a supplier of parts—we’re a partner in your projects, and our self-improvement is tied directly to your success.
If you’re interested in learning more about how these plans will impact your orders, or if you’re a potential partner looking to discuss custom component solutions, we’d welcome the chance to connect. We’re always looking for ways to listen, adapt, and grow, because the best thing we can do for Falan is make sure we’re delivering exactly what you need, every time.
Wellhead Grease Fittings References:
- National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2023). Metrology for Precision Manufacturing: Quality Control Best Practices.
- U.S. Department of Energy. (2022). Energy Efficiency Guidelines for Industrial CNC Machining Facilities.
- Society of Manufacturing Engineers. (2024). Small-Batch Prototype Production: Reducing Lead Times Through Dedicated Capacity.
- Global Supplier Sustainability Network. (2023). Industrial Scrap Reduction Strategies for Metalworking Operations.
Taizhou Zhongdu Machinery Co., Ltd.
Taizhou Zhongdu Machinery Co., Ltd. is one of the most professional falan manufacturers and suppliers in China, featured by quality products and good service. Please rest assured to buy bulk falan made in China here and get quotation from our factory.
Address: Lupu pharmaceutical packaging industrial park.Yuhuan county.Taizhou city, zhejiang province
E-mail: cmsealed@metal-gasket.com
WebSite: https://www.cmmetalgasket.com/
