Echelon

Gorilla glue provides us with glues that we use specifically for medical devices, mostly endovascular products. We needed a glue that we could incorporate into our process that could provide us with the strength, reliability, shelf life that our customers were looking for. Curing times are quick and the glue is very easy to apply. We have had no issues training our manufacturing techs on how to apply the glue. The staff at Gorilla glue was very easy to work with and answered all of our questions in a timely manner. We went back and forth many times on trying to perfect the right solution for our purpose and never during that time did they get frustrated. They have been professional every bit of the way and for that I can easily recommend them for anyone to use as a vendor.

Strengths: medical grade glue

Needs to improve: none

Have used Professional Finishing on a couple neuromuscular projects for surface treatment of devices such as stents and coils. We needed to find a vendor to provide us with a coating for our products to allow easy passage in tortuous environments such as the neuro vasculature. In prototypes and in previous tests we have had issues with friction causing us to have difficulty in delivering our devices in pig models and lab testing. We have worked closely with professional finishing to provide us with a coating specific to our device that allowed us to achieve the performance we were looking for. After much collaboration we were able to achieve the results we were looking for. Our experience working with PF is a positive one and we have consulted them on a couple other projects we have in store. If theres one thing I'd have to ding them on is that they are busy and can take awhile to finish a project. It really just depends on the time of year and how busy their schedule is.

Strengths: metal surface treatment, customer service

Needs to improve: Speed

Have used DeWALT hand and power tools for years in multiple auto shops before in the past and currently. We put a lot of abuse to our tools. They are often dropped from our lift by accident, or accident ran over by cars, used to drill through various types of materials from wood, carbon fiber, steel, titanium, aluminum. So we need a tool that is going to not only be powerful but also reliable for us. This is the reason why we keep on sticking with DeWALT. Their tools have performed exceptionally well for us with excellent reliably. Of course all tools need to be reserviced eventually. The important part is to have a company that makes the process easy for you and DeWALT is fairly easy by just having to ship our products back to them and they take care of the rest. They tend to be more expensive than their competitors but I have found that their tools are more reliable and lighter.

Strengths: reliable power and hand tools

Needs to improve: higher price compared to others like ryobi

Techni-Tool provides many tools ranging from cleaning wipes to hand tools, power tools, and even surgical equipment. Their wide selection of tools and products makes it an attractive option to do your one-stop-shop-all needs. We have worked with them a couple times and have had issues with defective products that have arrived. Not their fault by any means but when returning the products for refund or exchange we found it to be a somewhat tedious and cumbersome process to get our replacement parts and/or refund in a timely manner. Not a huge deal normally but if you're in a bind and need the tools immediately I'm not quite sure if I would trust using them again in the future. Prices are fairly good but customer service is on the slower side.

Strengths: Provider of hand tools, lab tools

Needs to improve: slow returns

Zebra technologies is a company that specializes in printing services for labels. We use them for printing out labels with barcodes that we apply to the outside of our packages. When looking for a company to provide us with labeling we needed someone that could print in high volumes in a timely manner, able to print exactly to or specs, and to be affordable. I'm glad to say that they have met all of our requirements and have been an excellent partner to deal with on multiple projects. We have never had any issues with them even after printing out thousands of labels. Pricing is competitive compared to other competitors out there.

Strengths: printing services, labels

Needs to improve: none that i can think of

Have had to use Uhaul on a couple instances to tow cars for customers. I run an auto shop and sometimes customers drop cars off to me that are not running. I sometimes need to have the cars towed to have them tuned, body shop work, etc. Until I get my own dedicated towing rig, I have been using Uhaul for the random times I need to tow a customer car. Their trucks are well maintained and have enough towing and braking power to tow safely. They also have one of the best designed towing trailers that are suitable for lowered cars as the fender covering the wheels on the driver side folds down to allow the car door to be opened in even the lowest cars i've seen. Pricing is per mile and can get expensive. If you drop the car off and trailer off at a different site then that places you in a different scheme, so theres really no way around it you are going to end up paying a lot of money. This is a pricing practice that seems to be reflected in all the other tow truck rental companies I have dealt with. Overall - good trucks, fair pricing, trailers are good for lowered cars.

Strengths: rental trucks, packaging materials

Needs to improve: Pricing depending on 1-way vs round trip travel

I have worked with the owner of ATI for a couple project builds that we've had requiring welding of chromoloy roll bars into steel framed automobiles. He is a true expert when it comes to welding and will spend extra time to make sure everything is pristine perfect. For example I brought a customer car in for welding in a roll bar that was initially designed to be bolt-on. The owner saw room for improvements in the bar and explained to me his suggestions prior to installation. I ended up listening to him and let him work his magic. He modified the roll bar by cutting off the stock mounting plates and welded on new thicker and wider plates that matched the outlines of the vehicle, providing a much more stable and safer end-product. The owner is an expert in TIG welding and his welds were pristine and look robotic. I was very pleased with the end product and my customer was extremely happy as well. His pricing is very competitive and he works very quickly. If you have a vision for a product that you're imagining, just stop by and he will make it happen.

Strengths: plasma cutting, welding, excellent customer service

Needs to improve: None

We use Verizon to supply cell phones to all of our employees. When choosing a telecommunications provider for our company there were only two options: AT&T and Verizon. We choose verizon because of the greater coverage map across the nation vs. at&t. We are often traveling and require reliable voice and data connection while on the road, in airports, meetings, etc. Verizon is definitely the best when it comes to coverage maps and their data speeds are fast as well. I feel that from personal experience at&t has a faster network when you find a cell tower that isn't as congested but their coverage is noticeably more spotty compared to verizon. Corporate pricing between the two companies is fairly the same.

Strengths: telecommunications, reliable network/coverage

Needs to improve: none

We run a fairly small auto body shop with roughly a total of 10-15 employees and use intuit to prepare our taxes as well as handle our payroll. The process for initially setting up the software was a bit cumbersome however the customer service hotline at intuit was able to walk us through the processes. Once set up though, intuit software is an absolute breeze to run and manage. I'm very happy with the software and the ease of handling payroll for our employees. Has made our job much easier in stream lining multiple systems together. Price depends on the package you get but I think all are competitively priced.

Strengths: financial organization

Needs to improve: none

Have used Comco a couple times to surface treat endovascular stents. Their process has also left us impressed with the quality of the surface. We have confirmed the surface quality via SEM microscopy and have been happy with the polished surface that they provide. Incorporating their micro sandblasting process into our practice has allowed us to achieve the performance we were looking for. Prior to using their process we were having difficulty with friction against our delivery system. After using their process we were able to achieve an acceptable level of friction without compromising structural integrity. Great customer service and turn around time is fast. Definitely recommend them if you're looking for medical grade quality service.

Strengths: micro blasting, surface treatment

Needs to improve: none

Have used On time Delivery service a couple times shipping engine blocks and transmission. Was not happy with the pricing and delivery times and have recently switched to couriers. My experience with them has been hit or miss. They do ensure that your shipments are delivered safely however they were a little bit expensive, weren't always on time with pick ups, and deliveries were a few days slower than others. Their tracking system is out of date and does not up date itself on the website. You have to call to get updates and that is time consuming and tedious. Overall they are okay. I wouldn't say that they are terrible but there are betters out there like Estes or even FedEx freight. I'd say they are better at shipping larger items that aren't across the country.

Strengths: freight shipping

Needs to improve: pricing

Hose and Fittings is what their name describes. They carry almost all the supplies that you see in any laboratory, hoses, fittings, connectors, and misc lab equipment. In our prototype lab, I use them for setting up pneumatic pumps that require long connections, easy connectivity, and accurate/reliable pumps. I'm happy to say that Hose and Fittings has been an excellent company and supplier. Their products are very high quality, no leaks, no problems with pumps failing. They always ship parts within 24 hours of ordering as long as it isn't over the weekend. On a couple of occasions I had to call them to ask for help on what I was looking for specifically and they were able to point me in the right direction. Excellent supplier and will continue to use for our testing needs.

Strengths: hose and fittings, pumps, connectors, lab equipement

Needs to improve: none that i can think of

Have consulted with pacific heat treating on aiding our assembly line. We run a heat treating process in our assembly line and have had issues with our set up and have consulted with PHT on how to ensure consistency in our oven. They are very knowledgable when it comes to this service as one would imagine. For example they sent employees to our facility to assess our system and ran their own tests and were able to rectify our issues we were having with consistency of heat treating evenly throughout our oven. The company has a very bright group of individuals, pricing is very fair, and service is quick with a finalized report at the end. We will continues to use their expertise as an as needed basis.

Strengths: heat treating

Needs to improve: none

Minitab is the standard software used by quality engineers to run their statistical analyses. It goes beyond the abilities of microsoft excel and makes running tests easier, ANOVA, t-tests, confidence reliability intervals, etc. I did not learn Minitab in undergraduate and was first exposed to it at my first medical device company as a quality engineer and must say that it has a quick learning curve. I have contacted minicab a couple of times on questions I had regarding some of the functions and they have been quick to respond and have even called me a couple times to further help my understanding. They offer excellent tutorial classes as well. Today, Minitab is installed on all of our computers for not just our quality engineers, but the rest of the engineering team as it is a valuable asset for everybody to use.

Strengths: quality control metric software

Needs to improve: none

PWC supplies metal tubing to our facility. We make stents, catheters, coils, and many more endovascular products that use PWC supplies. They provide high quality nitinol tubing for us and have been happy with the quality of work they do over there. For example, we order in very large lot sizes and have to measure their tubes when they come to our facility. We have had no issues with heat treating their products, and all their dimensions come in within specifications. Very rarely do we have to send product back for not conforming to our standards. Ordering is very easy. They tend to be more expensive than competitors out there but I find that their expertise and ease of collaboration is worth the extra price we pay for their service.

Strengths: Wiring, tubing, heat treating

Needs to improve: Pricing

We used to use UPS to ship larger items but have had a bad experience using them. Shipments not arriving on time or not at all, packages breaking, dropped or torn boxes, etc. It has been an absolute nightmare dealing with UPS on getting refunds on items that have been damaged that I just try to avoid UPS at all costs. I even spoke to a UPS transporter once and he said himself that nobody cares if a box has "Fragile" written all over it. It all gets thrown around in the van and what not. I understand that accidents happen but it tends to be more frequently with UPS. They also ship by weight and dimension where as fedex ships by weight. Avoid at all costs.

Strengths: shipping

Needs to improve: none

The company i work for has an account with fedex for freight shipping. We ship items such as transmissions, engine blocks, differentials, seats, exhausts, etc. Fedex is always on time with their pick ups and shipments. I have had great experience using them as a shipper in the sense that all of the items that i have shipped/received have come undamaged. Even the boxes and packaging materials has been left unscathed. I have heard that compared to UPS fedex tends to be more careful with their packages and actually reads the warnings on the box (do not tip, fragile item, etc) and I believe it as I can't say the same thing with UPS. Pricing is fair however rest assured knowing your packages will arrive at their destinations safely.

Strengths: shipping

Needs to improve: none

Have worked with American Tires for years. I work at an automotive shop that does service for routine maintenance for cars. We get all of our tires from american tires and have been pleased with the service they provide for us. They have multiple warehouses and have a huge selection to choose from. Since we have had an account with them for years we get very good pricing. Shipment is quick and we are always able to get the specific tires that we need whether it be local or shipped directly to the shop. Overall great supplier to deal with and has great customer service. Easy with returns as well.

Strengths: tire selection, pricing, speed

Needs to improve: none

Airgas supplies all of the gases that we use in-house. We have 3 large tanks that we use in our machine shop area that we use for welding and other things. We also have a couple tanks in our clean room facility for pure pressurized air. Excellent supplier in the sense that they always have refills available for us whenever we come to pick up new tanks. No waiting, no redirecting us to other sites, no fuss. Just simple and straight to the point. They sell all sorts of tools at their shops too from shields, regulators, fittings, etc. I have always found what i needed at their store and if i couldn't find exactly what i needed, they would be able to point me in the right direction.

Strengths: gas, chemicals, tanks

Needs to improve: none

Have used con-way multiple times for freight shipping engines, transmissions, differentials, and what not. Excellent service and quick shipping. Tracking system may take a bit to up date itself however i have never had any issues with any deliveries or receiving any packages from them. They do a good job of ensuring that your products are shipped safely. I recommend providing your own pallets and wrapping up your packages yourself so that they can just pick them up and ship it without difficulty. They can package the box for you but it's more expensive and I'm not sure if they will do as good of a job. Definitely great for larger heavy items.

Strengths: freight shipping

Needs to improve: none