Industry Products Company (IPC), Piqua, OH, has earned a reputation after 40 years in the auto parts manufacturing business as extremely flexible and fast-on-its-feet. The company delivers customer solutions driven by a results-oriented service mentality.  With in-house tooling and die cutting competency rare to the industry, IPC builds upon the strength of its capabilities to meet customers’ demands: 

A major manufacturer was less than a few months away from launching an updated generation of light-duty trucks.  During temperature cycle testing of a new resin compound for the instrument panel, excessive heat caused the substrate to fail and collapse. The ramifications were clear. To avoid a costly mold re-design, the truck maker called on IPC for assistance. 

IPC’s team of engineers, designers and advanced materials specialists joined forces with the customer to share information and expertise, review the problem and develop a speedy solution.

The instrument panel problem was perplexing; however, the IPC team did have prior expertise using specialty plastics designed like a shim to bolster other vehicle components, such as door panels and hood liners. IPC drew on these experiences and began working toward an efficient, innovative and precise remedy -- a replacement material that could withstand the rigors of temperature long term and do so with minimal advance testing prior to assembly. 

And most important, IPC needed to provide a part tooled (with many design variations, veins, support mechanisms, cut outs, and variations in thickness and plastics) to support the overall integrity, durability and functionality of a light-duty truck. 

Molding a new instrument panel wasn’t plausible given development time and cost constraints, nor was the rapid creation to customer specifications of a duplicative advance testing lab at IPC.

To reach the most expedient solution, IPC worked directly with the customer’s engineers by face-to-face meetings, e-mail, telephone and expedited shipping services. The two teams determined next steps:

IPC worked with its supplier base to identify a material with the right thickness and integrity. The part needed one side to be buffed to allow adhesive to penetrate the surface and connect parts.  Since an instrument panel experiences high temperature, the adhesive was as important to the overall solution as identifying the new replacement material.

IPC began to submit material samples based on customer specifications, i.e. certain compression deflection, load characteristic, resistance and rigidity.  Within a five-day period, IPC delivered three iterations of a hard-rubber material cut by hand. The first part was selected and sent to the customer in two days. Each new sample part delivered to the customer underwent heat cycle testing on the instrument panel assembly in the customer’s parts testing lab.

Once the instrument panel began to drop less, it was determined the hard rubber would withstand high heat long term.  After the third major material was submitted, several minor adjustments were made to the part, such as adding felt to the top of the plastic panel.

The IPC team developed a die with a unique cutting process to save material costs and expedite production.  The team was able to meet customer demand and timing of less than two weeks -- from tooling kickoff to having production parts ready for shipment.

“We often get business by providing parts in a pinch. Advance designs and concepts are ideal; however, things change at the drop of a hat because of unanticipated squeaks or rattles during auto assembly.  We specialize in small-part fixes with quick turn-around to alleviate these unwelcome noises. We find that even the best engineering teams can’t anticipate changes from the testing lab to the assembly line. That’s where IPC steps in – to us, it’s personal.” - Keith Fraver, IPC Advanced Purchasing.