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Finished Tube Parts Supply

Sometimes you need parts, not a machine. We run production on our floor, on our equipment or yours, for a single release or for years,
so a capacity gap does not turn into a capital project you were not ready for.

What is finished parts supply?

Finished parts supply is tube forming production run in our facility instead of yours. You send the print. We form the parts on Wauseon TubeTech equipment and ship finished parts to you. Same machines we build and sell, same people who develop the tooling, running your part.

It exists because the timing of a part and the timing of a machine rarely match. A release lands before the equipment is installed, a machine goes down mid program, a volume is too small to justify a cell, or a program is short enough that buying for it does not make sense. In each of those cases the parts still have to ship.

Have a part that needs to run sooner than a machine can be installed? Send us the print!

How Customers Use It

Three situations account for almost all of it.

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Emergency Capacity

A machine is down, a supplier missed, or a release moved up. We keep tube forming machines in house that are not tied to a single part, so getting your form running is a matter of tooling and setup rather than waiting on equipment to free up. Send the print and we will tell you what it takes to be producing.

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Short Run Production

Prototype volumes, a launch bridge, a service part, or a program too short to buy equipment for. Short run also gives you real production data on the part before you commit capital, so an equipment decision later is based on how the part actually ran rather than on a forecast.

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Long Run and Contract Supply

Ongoing supply under a contract, with the volume, the schedule, and the quality expectations agreed up front. Some programs stay here permanently because the volume never justifies a dedicated machine. Others run here while a cell is being built.

Whose machine runs the part?

Three arrangements, and the right one depends on how long the program runs and what you want to own at the end of it:

Our equipment:
Production on machines we already own and operate. Nothing to buy, nothing to install, and no floor space of yours committed.
Leased equipment:
A machine leased for the program and run by us. This fits a defined program with a known end date, or a volume that is climbing but not yet at the level where purchase makes sense.
Your equipment on our floor:
You own the machine but not the space, the labor, or the time to run it. It lives here and we run it. You keep the asset and we provide the floor and the people.
In all three cases you are buying finished parts and the production problem is ours. What changes is who owns the machine when the program ends.

Are you competing with your own customers?

No. We build tube forming equipment for a living, and this is an extension of that. Finished parts supply exists so a customer facing a capacity, timing, or capital problem can still deliver. We partner with you so you can serve your customers.

  • Your part, your print, your program. Parts ship to you and stay under your part number.
  • The customer relationship stays yours. We work behind you, not next to you.
  • When you are ready to bring the part in house, we help you do it. That is the equipment side of our business.
  • Prints, processes, and volumes are treated as yours and stay confidential.

A fabricator who came to us for capacity in a bad month has been a customer for equipment, tooling, parts, and service for years afterward. That is the version of this that works.

Why Run Your Part Here

We are not a job shop that bought some tube equipment. We designed and built the machines, we develop the forming tooling, and the machining is handled in house. When a form is not holding, the person who can fix it is in the building.

For more than 40 years, manufacturers have trusted us to design, build, and program tube forming equipment in house. From complexity to confidence, we stay with you across the entire life of your equipment, and that includes the stretches where the parts have to come from us.

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40+ Years of Experience
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Emergency Capacity Available
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Tooling Developed In House
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In-House Machining
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Short Run to Contract Volume
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Your Equipment or Ours

Machining and secondary operations are handled in house, so a part that needs more than forming does not go out to a
vendor and come back on somebody else’s schedule.

Our Tube Forming Lifecycle

Wauseon TubeTech machines are built to last decades, and so is our commitment to support them. Six stages cover the whole arc, from the first look at your part to supplying finished parts years later. Not every project uses all six, and plenty of customers join partway through.

Step 1: Process Evaluation We review your prints, processes, and parts, establish the best process for the part, review it with you, and quote it.

Step 2: Design and Build We design the concept, review it with you, and design the tooling package around it.

Step 3: Development A dedicated development technician modifies the tooling to your specifications, with tooling runoff in house, a five-piece tryout with samples submitted for approval, and capability studies available on request.

Step 4: Build to Print Parts produced to your print, with machining handled in house, delivered ready to run.

Step 5: Production Support Uptime recommendations, downtime support, tooling troubleshooting, spare parts and tooling, machine maintenance, and refurbishment and modernization.

Step 6: Finished Part Supply Short run production, overage runs, emergency capacity, and long term supply contracts.

Frequently asked questions

What is finished parts supply?

It is production run on our floor instead of yours. You send the print, we form the parts on Wauseon TubeTech equipment, and finished parts ship to you. It covers emergency capacity when a machine is down or a release comes in late, short run production, and long term supply under contract.

Can you run parts on short notice?

Usually yes. We keep tube forming machines in house that are not committed to a single part, so in most cases the work is tooling and setup rather than waiting on equipment. Send the print and the volume and we will tell you honestly how quickly we can be running.

Whose equipment runs the part?

Whichever makes sense for the program. We run it on our equipment, on equipment leased for the program, or on your own machine installed on our floor. The choice usually comes down to volume, how long the program runs, and whether you expect to bring it in house later.

Can we move our own machine into your facility?

Yes. If you own the machine but do not have the floor space, the labor, or the time to run it, it can live here and we can run it. You keep the asset and we provide the space and the people.

Does this replace buying a machine?

Not usually. Most customers use it to get parts moving now and decide on equipment later, with real production data behind the decision instead of a forecast. Some stay on supply because the volume never justifies a machine, and that is a legitimate answer too.

Will you compete with us once the program is running?

No. We produce your part, to your print, for you, and it ships to you. The customer relationship stays yours. Our business is building tube forming equipment and supporting it, and this is how we support you when capacity, timing, or capital does not line up. We partner with you so you can serve your customers.

What do you need to quote a finished part?

The part print, the material and wall thickness, the annual or release volume, and the delivery expectation. If the part is currently running somewhere, the existing process and any quality documentation shorten the conversation considerably.

Can you handle machining and secondary operations on the part?

Often yes. Machining is handled in house, so a part that needs turning, drilling, or a machined feature alongside the form does not have to move to an outside vendor and back. Tell us the full print rather than just the forming operation.

Send Us the Part and the Timeline

Send the print, the material and wall, the volume, and when the parts have to ship. We will tell you whether we can run it, on whose equipment, and how quickly. If the better answer is a machine of your own, we will say that too. No pressure and no obligation. It is how we get you from complexity to confidence.

Talk to a tube forming engineer