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 An article by MetalForming Magazine

Bermo Inc., Minneapolis, MN, has released its F.R.E.D. (First-of-its-kind Rapid Estimate Delivery) quotation software, created inhouse to provide automated quotations for its OEM customer base. The program links customers’ CAD models to suit Bermo's manufacturing processes, which include laser cutting, metal stamping, forming, welding and assembly. With the new software, customers can expect to receive quotations within minutes.
“This software program was inaugurated out of the sheer amount of RFQs that we process day-after-day,” says David Berdass, Bermo vice president. “Not only will we be able to serve our customers better, it will make us more cost-efficient and allow us to direct resources toward even more innovations for our customers.”
This spring, updates to the F.R.E.D. software (the name also is a nod to the company’s late founder, Fred Berdass) will give customers the ability to perform online preliminary quotations before having to send in requests. For more on Bermo, visit www.bermo.com.

See article at:
http://www.metalformingmagazine.com/magazine/article.asp?aid=11282

An article by Tim Heston published in The Fabricator

Giving people a voice may be at the very core of what makes an engaging, sustaining culture—and this probably applies as much to the fab shop as it does the Iowa electorate.

Seeing people caucus made me think of the “communication boards” posted throughout Bermo Inc., a custom fabricator and stamper north of the Twin Cities. On these boards people post ideas, and those ideas undergo a set process that makes it virtually impossible to dismiss any idea outright. We’ll detail this process in next month’s FABRICATOR magazine.

Bermo is excited to introduce the First of its kind Rapid Estimate Delivery Quote Program.  A perfect companion to Bermo's 24-hour Prototyping. 

Dependent on part features and customer-requested cost breakdowns, the F.R.E.D. Quote Program offers online customer access where the price serves as a reference only, until confirmed by Bermo Inc.    Some paint charges may take longer to process depending on paint spec.

BERMO Inc. is excited to announce the immediate launch of 24-hour prototyping, an exclusive service dedicated to our customer's design stage.

BERMO Inc.'s 24-hour prototyping is a response to meet the needs of our customers: quick and accurate parts built within a 'just-in-time' environment. BERMO Inc. has also made pricing and ordering simple and similar to ordering off a menu: choose from a three tier structure (depending on operations required by our customers). Customers will find this exclusive service affordable and an easy return on their spend.
　
"From a strategy point-of-view, being able to provide parts in one day is a nice service!" --- John Deere 

24-hour does not include shipping and should be arranged by customer. PO acceptance dependent on stock of material at time of order. Some manufacturing features may not be applicable.

Bermo Inc. is also offering 24-hr. turnaround on certain orders before 12:00 p.m. central time. This applies to orders with a maximum of 10 pieces per part number and a maximum of three part numbers per lot. The parts should not require any significant finishing and fewer than three bends on a press brake if they need to be formed. CAD files need to be supplied.

Bermo offers metal fabricating, stamping, welding, and assembly.

Expansions into related product areas are carefully considered and monitored closely. Engineers work with customers to improve the manufacturability of their designs. The company provides just in time inventory for many customers yet is able to keep inventory turns at a respectable eight to ten turns per year. Delivery performance is around 98%. Despite all this apparent success however, the company is not satisfied. They face strong competition from domestic and overseas suppliers and are constantly looking for ways to build or improve their competitive advantage.

Bermo began their Lean Journey in 2008 using The Toyota Way as a starting point. They spent a year and a half working with the usual tools like 5S and conducting many Kaizen Blitzes. Performance measures tended to focus on the implementation of tools rather than relevant business performance measures like inventory turns and lead time. Although the use of these Lean tools did result in some localized improvements, they did not provide the overall improvements that the company was looking for. Lead times in particular, did not improve and in some cases became longer. Most of Bermo’s customers are large, lean and sophisticated companies with well-established supply chains. They have the power to demand rapid deliveries of small quantities on short notice. Failure to provide the product on time will frequently cause the customer’s line to stop temporarily. Needless to say, these customers do not tolerate interruptions in supply for long.