Engineering Firefighting
Engineering consumed by firefighting.
Nucleus Performance Program
The Center of Manufacturing Excellence
Your outsourced manufacturing performance team. We cut tooling cost, reduce scrap and stabilize your processes, then document every verified gain so it lasts.
- 3 Bids, 1 Buy competitive sourcing
- Verified, measured annual savings
- Weekly & monthly performance reviews
- Process Improvement
- Cost Reduction
- Scrap Reduction
- Process Stability
The Challenge
Problem Solving
Most plants are not short on effort. They are short on time, specialist purchasing expertise and clear visibility into what is actually driving cost.
Purchasing Expertise Gap
Operations focused on output, not root-cause cost reduction.
Leadership Visibility
Leadership lacks visibility into cost drivers.
What We Do
Core Vision
Improve profitability through process improvement, cost reduction, scrap reduction, stability
Operate as an outsourced manufacturing performance team
How It Works
Program Workflow
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1
Procurement of Tooling: 3 Bids, 1 Buy
Competitively bidding all key tooling ensures best-value procurement.
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2
Collect tooling, production, and scrap data
Gather accurate historical data on tooling performance, production cycles, and scrap rates.
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3
Identify and rank profit leaks by annual impact
Systematically identifying and prioritizing projects based on their total annual financial impact.
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4
Assign projects, test solutions, validate savings
Deploying cross-functional teams to test solutions and measure actual savings before full implementation.
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5
Update SOPs and documentation
Integrating proven solutions into standardized operating procedures and training materials.
Procurement
3 Bids & 1 Buy: Sourcing Optimization
01
Competitive Bidding
Every 3rd-party requirement triggers private independent distribution events. Your choice of distributors. This enforces transparent competition and eliminates single-source pricing locks.
02
Weighted Scoring
Distributors are programmatically scored on response speed, quote accuracy, and lead times to calculate the absolute best-value recommendation.
03
Strategic Purchase
The client retains control to buy based on the lowest raw cost or a balanced lead time and service value combination.
Review Cadence
A Rhythm That Keeps Savings Real
Structured weekly and monthly reviews keep production on schedule, surface risk early and keep every improvement project moving.
- Review production schedule.
- Verify tooling availability.
- Identify risks early.
- Reduce emergency freight.
- Track improvement projects.
- Review cost per part.
- Review scrap performance.
- Review tooling consumption.
- Prioritize highest-impact opportunities.
What We Measure
Primary Metrics
- Cost per Part (CPU)The true all-in cost of every part you ship.
- Scrap Cost & PercentageDollars and rate, tracked side by side.
- Cycle TimeThroughput gains from optimized parameters.
- Tool Life StabilityPredictable, repeatable tool performance.
- Verified Annual SavingsMeasured and validated, never estimated.
Prioritization
Opportunity Ranking
- Rank by annual financial impact
- Scrap and CPU projects compete equally
- Focus on total manufacturing profitability
Savings Estimator
What Are Scrap & Tooling Really Costing You?
Enter your own numbers for a quick, directional view of the opportunity. Your assessment replaces these estimates with verified figures.
Documentation & Knowledge
Built to Last Beyond Every Project
Digital Process Package
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Revision & Setup Package
- Revision control and setup sheets
- Tool lists and approved packages
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Cutting Parameters & Tool Life
- Cutting parameters and tool life
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Quality & Improvement History
- Quality requirements and failure modes
- Improvement history
Internal Intelligence Database
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Testing History
- Stores testing history and outcomes
- Captures lessons learned
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Institutional Knowledge
- Protects institutional knowledge
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Faster Execution
- Accelerates future execution
The Team
Team Roles & Responsibilities
Rick Kilhoffer
Owner / Sales Engineer / Project Management
Leads strategic program vision, client partnerships, and overall manufacturing optimization initiatives. Drives high-level account oversight and performance alignment.
Ben Perry
Co-Owner / Sales Engineer
Co-manages program execution and client relations, focusing on tooling procurement strategies, cost-reduction projects, and operational evaluations.
Logan Baumgratz
Applications Engineer
Provides technical and engineering support, optimizing cutting parameters, tool life stability, SOP updates, and hands-on process troubleshooting.
Courtney Sherry
Business Development / Procurement
Manages client engagement, onboarding, and program growth. Ensures seamless communication, review cadence scheduling, and administrative alignment.
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nucleus Performance Program?
It is an outsourced manufacturing performance team. We embed with your operation to improve profitability through process improvement, cost reduction, scrap reduction and process stability, then document every proven gain so it sticks.
How does "3 Bids, 1 Buy" work?
Every third-party tooling requirement goes out to independent distributors of your choosing. Quotes are scored on response speed, quote accuracy and lead time, and you decide whether to buy on lowest raw cost or the best balance of lead time and service.
Do we lose control of purchasing decisions?
No. You always retain the final purchase decision. We run the competition, score the results and give you a clear recommendation.
How are savings measured?
Solutions are tested and savings are measured before full implementation. We track cost per part, scrap cost and percentage, cycle time and tool life stability, and report verified annual savings.
What happens to the knowledge gained during projects?
It is captured in a Digital Process Package (setup sheets, tool lists, cutting parameters, quality requirements and improvement history) and in our internal intelligence database, so lessons learned are protected and future work moves faster.
How do we get started?
Request a performance assessment using the form below. We will review your current tooling spend, production and scrap data to identify and rank the biggest opportunities.
Get Started
Find the profit hiding on your shop floor.
Start with a no-obligation performance assessment of your tooling spend, scrap and process stability.
- Discovery callWe learn your processes, materials and pain points.
- Data reviewTooling, production and scrap data, analyzed.
- Ranked opportunitiesA clear list of profit leaks, ranked by annual impact.
- 814.594.0930
- sales@patriotmws.com
- Monday – Friday, 7:00am – 5:00pm