by libertydave » Sat Aug 17, 2013 4:11 pm
Like many small-medium manufacturing companies in the U. S., Keene Engineering offloads a lot of their production manufacturing fabrication and material processing (i.e. metal fab and plating) for their best selling units to other companies (suppliers). A lot of the parts used in their equipment designs also have a unique design standards they have used after years of R&D, product development and operational performance analysis from out in the field. This cuts down on Keene's costs, gives you better reliability and also holds down on the new product costs (saving you some money). This is "Business Economic 101"
I recall the story of the cost of a new automobile if you went out and bought each one of the tens of thousands of cars parts from OEM suppliers and the dealer's parts department...which means a $25,000 vehicle new would cost at least $200,000 if made from those single parts. That does not include labor for assembly.
Sometimes it just makes good sense to go to the original manufacturer or retail outlet and pay the price.
LD