Common Order Processing Questions:
Administrative
Questions:
General
Service Questions:
What
does your company do?
CGI is a custom sheet metal fabricator of light to medium gauge
material specializing in short lead times for high volume production.
We provide CNC turret punching and laser cutting up to 0.5”.
Key equipment runs 24-7 utilizing auto loaders and unloaders.
We offer forming and shearing to 0.25” thick and 12’
long. Additional in-house capabilities exist for MIG & TIG
welding, spotwelding, riveting, and fastener insertion. CGI can
produce sheet metal assemblies & subassemblies using stainless
steel, aluminum, galvanized, cold rolled or hot rolled material
from 0.5” thick to 24 gauge. We have expertise in many industries,
such as Lighting,
Store Fixtures and
Displays and OEM
Products.
What
size is your manufacturing plant?
CGI operates out of a 38,000 square foot facility located
just outside Chicago, Illinois.
How
many employees do you have?
CGI employs 50 employees working two shifts. Sheet metal fabrication
equipment with auto loaders and unloaders run lights out on a
third shift.
How
do I receive a brochure?
Go to the Contact Information page and
complete the on-line form to have information describing our sheet
metal fabrication services sent to you. You may also call us at
708-652-7727, extension 221, to request sales literature.
How
long have you been in business?
CGI began operations October 25, 1976. We are celebrating over
30 years producing sheet metal fabricated parts.
Where
are you located?
CGI is located 8 miles west of downtown Chicago in Cicero, Illinois.
A map
& directions to our fabrication facility can be viewed
here.
Common
Initial Inquiry Questions:
What
type of material do you work with?
CGI can fabricate utilizing the following types of sheet metal
material:
Stainless steel
Aluminum
Galvanized
Cold rolled
Hot rolled
Hot
rolled pickled and oiled
Prefinished material
Perforated material
What
thickness of material do you work with?
CGI can fabricate sheet metal from 0.5” thick to 24 gauge.
Do
you have any size constraints?
CGI’s maximum forming length is 12’. The maximum sheet
size for laser cutting or CNC punching is 60” x 120”.
The chart below indicates the size and thickness constraints for
all sheet metal fabrication for cold rolled, hot rolled, stainless
and aluminum material.
| |
Bed
Size |
Hot
Rolled/
Cold Rolled |
Stainless
|
Aluminum |
Laser
Cutting
|
60”
x 120”
|
1/2”
(.50)
|
1/2”
(.50) |
1/4”
(.25) |
| CNC
Turret |
50”
x 120”
|
10 ga
(.1345)
|
10 ga
(.1345) |
10 ga
(.1345) |
CNC
Turret Manually up to
|
60”
x 96”
60” x 144” |
3/8”
(.357)
|
1/4”
(.25) |
1/4”
(.25) |
Shear
|
12’
|
1/4”
(.25)
|
7 ga
(.1795)
|
1/4”
(.25) |
Forming
|
12’
|
1/4”
(.25)
|
1/4”
(.25)
|
1/4”
(.25) |
Rolling
|
3/16”
x 72”
|
3/16”
(.1875)
|
10 ga
(.1345)
|
1/4”
(.25) |
Stamping
|
36”
x 48”
|
1/4”
(.25)
|
1/4”
(.25) |
1/4”
(.25) |
Robotic
Welding Cell
|
48”x
72”x 24”
|
Unlimited
|
Unlimited
|
Unlimited |
Do you have any minimum volume requirements?
CGI’s investment in automation allows us to provide short
lead times for production volumes. When the set up cost is amortized
over the volumes run, this may drive up the pricing of smaller
quantity production jobs. Because of this, CGI typically has production
runs exceeding 250 units. Quite often, these volumes are significantly
higher. This is not a firm rule, as other factors can play a role,
such as the size and assembly of the sheet metal parts required.
Do
you work with tubing?
CGI
is able to weld tubing to fabricated sheet metal components. We
do not have the capabilities internally to manufacture tubing
in production quantities.
Do
you work with wire?
CGI
does not have the necessary equipment to manufacture wire components
or assemblies. Our equipment is very specific to sheet metal fabrication.
Do
you do machining work?
CGI
can provide machining services by outsourcing to a machining company
that is very experienced and cost effective. CGI’s expertise
and competitive advantage is in sheet metal fabrication.
What
is your sample or prototype policy?
CGI
provides sheet metal fabricated components and assemblies across
a number of different industries. Certain industries seem to require
more samples and prototypes to be produced. We feel it is unfair
to burden all the industries we serve with the overhead cost of
preparing prototypes, therefore CGI does charge for prototype
manufacturing. The cost for prototypes attempts to cover CGI’s
direct cost.
There may be
a need to review a first article prior to a volume production
run. Sometimes these parts are provided for approval and do not
have the complete finishing requirements (painting, plating, etc.).
Typically there would not be a charge for providing this pre-production
sample for approval. We can discuss the particular circumstances
with our customer. CGI is very fair in our sample/prototype policy.
Do
you powder coat finish in house?
CGI outsources our powder coating requirements. We utilize a very
reputable finisher in the area that is at our facility daily delivering
finished sheet metal components and assemblies.
Do
you provide the stock raw material for production?
CGI maintains a minimum level of stock material for the majority
of our sheet metal fabrication services. We typically order raw
material cut to a specific size to maximize the material utilization
and minimize waste in our fabrication process.
Do
you work with customer supplied material?
We do manufacture utilizing customer supplied material, however
we would need to discuss the specific application before committing
to using outside material.
Common
Technical Questions:
What
information do you need to provide a quote?
In order for CGI to provide a quote for your sheet metal fabrication
needs, we would need a drawing submitted with your quantity requirements.
We can accept almost any format but prefer .dxf, .dwg or .pdf
formats. These drawings can be faxed (708-780-6028) or e-mailed
(cgi@cgimfg.com) for pricing.
What
tolerances can you hold?
Shearing +/- 0.032
Punching +/- 0.005
Laser Cutting +/- 0.002
Forming +/- 0.015
What
factors do you look at when deciding whether to laser cut or punch
a part?
The geometry of the sheet metal part to be manufactured typically
determines whether the part is best suited for laser cutting or
CNC punching. Special tools needed to run in the CNC turrets can
be eliminated if utilizing laser cutting, although laser cutting
may require more machine time and possibly more cost. These special
tools may be justified if the production volumes are high. Sometimes
finishing restrictions necessitate the use of the laser or the
CNC punch. In all circumstances, CGI would quote the lowest overall
cost for production, given the specifics of the part to be manufactured.
What
is CGI’s Commitment to Quality?
CGI has a Quality Program in place to produce sheet metal components
and assemblies to our customers’ specifications. We would
be happy to provide additional specific information as required.
Do
you warranty your work?
CGI produces sheet metal fabricated parts according to drawings
and specifications provided by our customers. We provide a limited
warranty for a period of twelve months after receipt of your product.
We can provide a copy of this Limited Warranty at your request.
Common
Order Processing Questions:
What
information do you need to process an order?
In order for CGI to process your sheet metal fabrication purchase
order, we need to have a purchase order faxed (708-780-6028) or
e-mailed (cgi@cgimfg.com).
Included on your purchase order should be your billing address,
shipping address, part number(s) ordered including revision code
if applicable, quantity ordered per part, requested ship date,
and any special finishing requirements. We may ask for a current
drawing of the part(s) ordered. If this is the first sheet metal
production order for your company, we will request a credit application
to be filled out and we will promptly notify you of your credit
status. We will acknowledge receipt of your purchase order and
confirm the delivery date within 24 hours of receiving a purchase
order form your company.
How
do you process blanket orders?
CGI
can work with a variety of systems in expediting orders. Some
of our customers utilize KanBan releases, some require us to log
into their websites for purchase order releases, others release
via their own internal processing system. Blanket orders typically
are for annual requirements of sheet metal components and assemblies.
The release dates can be communicated by the customer for the
entire term of the order but they don’t need to be determined
at the front end. When CGI receives a blanket purchase order,
we communicate with our customer to determine what their release
quantity will typically be and we agree upon a safety stock quantity
that will be available immediately after a release. Customers
are notified of our lead time to replenish stock inventory so
that they can adjust their quantities accordingly.
What
is your return policy?
CGI produces sheet metal fabricated parts according to customer
drawings and specifications. We produce these parts only when
we have a purchase order. Since each order is customer specific
and we have no other market to sell these items, CGI cannot accept
returned items unless the parts do not conform to customer specifications.
If that should occur, CGI will rework or replace the nonconforming
parts. CGI will need to be contacted prior to returning parts
so that we can assign a Return Material Authorization Number (RMA#).
We may only want to have a small sampling of parts returned to
make our assessment. Once we receive the items, we will notify
you how and when we will provide parts that meet your specifications.
Common Administrative Questions:
What
are your payment terms?
CGI’s payment terms are 1/2% 10, Net 30. Variations to these
payment terms would need to be discussed and approved by CGI prior
to fabricating your sheet metal requirements. CGI is able to accept
credit card payments at our customer’s request or to get
an initial production order shipped while awaiting credit approval.
What
information is needed to set up a credit account?
A Credit Application needs to be completed, requesting basic company
information, vendor references and bank information. We also request
a Certificate of Resale Form (Illinois Department of Revenue Form
CRT-61) along with a copy of the Resale Certificate. It takes
approximately one week to process credit applications, depending
on the timeliness of vendor responses. We will notify applicants
of their credit approval as soon as it is processed.
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