Its customers span pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, ammunition, food processing, chemicals, 3D-printing metals, and dozens of other powdercentric applications. “Our key clients are anyone dealing with powders who require mixing or vacuum tumble drying,” she says.“And because these machines are critical to their operations, uptime is everything—they cannot go down.” That expectation—to deliver flawless equipment, flawless process engineering, and flawless service— has shaped GEMCO’s evolution for generations. MASTERING THE SUPPLY CHAIN WITH FORESIGHT AND DISCIPLINE The COVID-era supply chain crisis created seismic challenges across global manufacturing, but GEMCO navigated it with a calm born of deep planning and equally deep relationships. The company meets weekly with its most critical vendors, tracking upstream and downstream constraints in real time. These vendors are held to the same performance standards GEMCO must meet for its customers, creating a culture of accountability across the entire chain. Some materials still see extended lead times, but GEMCO offsets the risk with proactive forecasting and blanket purchase orders for parts that must remain on the shelf at all times. Spare components for machines in the field are stocked aggressively. The company also broadened its vendor base during the pandemic—especially in electronics—qualifying alternative components that exceed original functionality. “We branched out and created alternatives with the same form, fit, and function,” Bickhardt explains. “Sometimes even better functionality. It expanded our product line and solved problems for our customers at the same time.” STRENGTH BUILT ON DUAL MANUFACTURING ENGINES GEMCO’s manufacturing strength comes from two tightly integrated operations: its Middlesex, New Jersey production facility and its specialized powder141 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 13, ISSUE 01 GEMCO
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