Hand Safety Tool
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CLIENT:
Hand Safety Tool
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INDUSTRY:
Construction, Oil & Gas
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CAPABILITIES USED:
Injection Molding
Flexible Sourcing
Cost-Effective Scaling
Streamlined Inventory Management
Balancing Cost-Effective Scaling with Domestic Reshoring
The Hand Safety Tool Company LLC was on a mission to grow its product line while managing production costs. To scale efficiently while managing expenses and supply chain risks, it utilized Fathom’s overseas and domestic injection molding capabilities.
The Problem
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The Hand Safety Tool Company’s flagship product, the ShoveIt® Hand Safety Tool, is a push/pull pole with a V-shaped plastic head design that enables users to guide loads, move and position objects, as well as grab slings and taglines without physically placing hands on the item. The part’s design required glass-filled nylon injection molding and heat staking of multiple threaded inserts—making it both material-intensive and technically demanding.
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Initially, overseas production of this part was the most affordable route. However, with a small internal team and limited logistics resources, The Hand Safety Tool Company’s ultimate goal was to transition all production to 100% U.S.-based manufacturing.
The Solution
The Hand Safety Tool Company selected ICOMold by Fathom for its competitive pricing, excellent customer support and the ability to transition to domestic production as production volume increased. This level of tailored support allowed The Hand Safety Tool Company team to stay focused on product innovation while gradually reshaping its supply chain – from overseas tooling and initial production to hybrid production (export tools built overseas and shipped to the U.S. for part production) and finally fully domestic tooling and production.
The Results
Since 2018, The Hand Safety Tool Company has grown from a single product to a line of nine specialized tools. With ICOMold by Fathom’s tailored manufacturing support, the company has been able to:
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Successfully manage its per-part production costs through flexible sourcing.
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Cost-effectively scale part production so it could expand its product line.
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Streamline its inventory management and fulfillment times by transitioning from overseas to 100% domestic sourcing.
Flexible Sourcing
Cost-Effective Scaling
