Sourcing Friction Shims
When a critical drivetrain component became impossible to source in the required thickness, a customer was left without a supply of friction shims they depended on. We split the component into two separate manufacturing processes and rebuilt the supply chain. Here’s how we kept a bespoke, critical part in stock for a customer who relied on stability.
Overview
The challenge
The customer needed friction shims made from 3M material: a nickel coated substrate with partially embedded diamond particles, designed to improve torque transfer and reduce slippage on drivetrains. It’s a critical part, as less slippage means more of the available power reaches the drivetrain instead of being lost as wasted torque, which reduces both energy loss and the risk of breakages further down the powertrain.
At the point the customer needed more, the material wasn’t available in the thickness required. The customer was adamant they still needed the part, so simply waiting for stock to return wasn’t a workable option. We needed to find another way to produce the same finished component.
Overview
How we helped
We treated the shim as two separate manufacturing problems. First, we approached several manufacturers to find one capable of producing the base shim from an alternative material, matching the properties of the original. Second, once the base shim existed, we sourced a separate supplier to apply the nickel diamond coating as its own distinct process.
Bringing those two suppliers together gave us a finished part that matched the performance the customer relied on with the same torque transfer improvement, the same reduction in slippage, built from a supply chain we fully managed.
Overview
The benefits
The customer got a stable, ongoing supply of a critical drivetrain component, despite it being fully bespoke. Beyond solving the immediate shortage, this reduced their lost torque, cut energy waste, and lowered the risk of breakages in their powertrain system. We now hold stock of the part on their behalf, so a repeat of the original shortage, driven by a single supplier’s material availability, doesn’t put their production at risk again.
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Time to talk
If a critical component in your supply chain is at risk from a single point of failure, we can help rebuild it around a more resilient supply route. Get in touch to talk through your requirements
Testimonials
What our customers say
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Coburns are a reliable and reactive supply chain partner, always willing and open to discuss and drive change initiatives.
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Highly recommend, knowledgeable, reliable and easy to deal with.
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Working with Coburn Fasteners is a simple and easy process. Whether you send an email or speak over the phone, nothing is inconvenient and they will do their up-most to help you. I would highly recommend Coburn Fasteners for a quote. Their fast and efficient service and delivery lead-time is excellent compared to a lot of vendors.
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Coburn Fasteners is a responsive and reliable supplier that helps SLB efficiently source off-the-shelf and buy-house items. Their support reduces the need to onboard multiple suppliers and simplifies the procurement process and help us improve work efficiency and workload management.
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When Jeremy approached us and said he could help with our kitting, it suddenly dawned on me just how inefficient our existing process had become. As our product range rapidly expanded, the time and effort involved in sourcing, designing and assembling kits in-house was becoming a real drain on the business.
