When industrial OEMs face challenges with machined castings, the issue sometimes isn’t with the casting or the machining alone. It’s with the disconnect between the two.
That’s why leading manufacturers need to consider how a CNC machining company and the foundry will partner together to achieve their goals. Early collaboration leads to better part quality, faster launches, and fewer supply chain issues.
A great example is the partnership between Stecker Machine Company and Bremer Manufacturing, a foundry specializing in aluminum casting. Together, we deliver high-quality machined castings through shared design input, fast problem-solving, and aligned processes.
This article explores how this collaboration:
- Streamlines production and delivery
- Improves design for manufacturability (DfM)
- Delivers better results for industrial OEMs
How CNC–Foundry Collaboration Accelerates Complex OEM Projects
When OEMs need to launch a complex part quickly, it takes more than just a capable foundry or a reliable CNC shop. It takes both, working together from day one. That’s what made the Stecker–Bremer partnership so effective on a recent project for aluminum battery boxes used in electric buses.
Bremer is a specialty foundry first, casting large aluminum parts with precision easily. They can also machine smaller parts on their in-house vertical machining centers.
The battery box enclosures, however, weighed more than 30 pounds. So, they contacted Stecker, a long-standing CNC machining partner specializing in large, complex, tight-tolerance machining projects.
The results:
- Fixtures were designed, sourced, and built quickly
- Print issues were caught and resolved early in the DfM process to reduce the risk of costly rework
- Stecker and Bremer kept the OEM’s launch date intact while maintaining high quality
- Communication was proactive and transparent
Other vendors had fallen behind on similar work, but Stecker stayed on schedule — helping the OEM meet its launch date.
“The transition was smooth from the start. Stecker flagged potential problems, proposed solutions, and stuck to the plan. That’s why we keep going back.”
— Dan O’Donovan, Bremer Manufacturing
Stecker and Bremer have worked on numerous complex projects together. On one agricultural application, the teams quickly gained approval on bracket designs and earned repeat business thanks to strong performance. In another case, a pump housing project with urgent timelines showed how both companies responded under pressure, stepping in when others couldn’t deliver and ensuring the OEM stayed on schedule.
This kind of two-way collaboration turns supply chain challenges into competitive advantages and builds the kind of reliability OEMs need most.
How Does a CNC–Foundry Partnership Improve Design for Manufacturability (DfM)?
One of the biggest gains from a CNC machining and foundry partnership happens before production even starts. By collaborating on DfM, Stecker and Bremer help OEMs avoid problems that cost time and money down the line.
Key advantages of joint DfM reviews:
- Early feedback on castability: Bremer evaluates draft angles, gating, and material flow so designs are realistic for aluminum casting
- Machining-driven adjustments: Stecker identifies tolerance challenges or print details that could cause machining delays, and recommends changes before the part hits the shop floor, working closely with OEM designers to ensure it’s a workable solution
- Combined expertise for OEM designers: Some new engineers don’t fully understand casting limitations, especially aluminum’s challenges with thermal expansion, porosity, and feeding behavior. Bremer uses simulation software to predict and resolve these issues, in combination with careful risering and gating. Stecker’s design engineers ensure the design is machinable; a design may look good on paper but might not be machinable or castable. Together, they refine parts faster and make them production-ready with fewer risks
- Seamless customer experience: OEMs don’t have to manage competing voices from suppliers. Instead, they get one unified recommendation that balances casting quality with machining precision
“Customers want us to bring foundry partners into early design reviews. Bremer shows up, speaks up, and helps us make parts better before they hit the floor.”
— Jason Schuh, Stecker Machine Company
Why It Works: Trust, Proximity, and Mutual Respect
The success of the Stecker–Bremer partnership isn’t just about machines and processes. It’s about trust, alignment, and proximity. Combined, they deliver better results for OEMs.
Geography matters:
Because Stecker and Bremer are located less than 30 miles apart, their teams can meet in person frequently, giving OEMs the benefit of faster problem-solving with engineers on-site when issues arise. The short distance also reduces transportation and shipping costs, while making it easy for both suppliers to sit side-by-side in customer design reviews. That means OEMs receive casting and machining feedback in real time with less back and forth.
Cultural alignment makes it stronger:
Stecker and Bremer’s partnership works because both companies share a straightforward, disciplined work ethic. They do what they say they’ll do. That mutual accountability builds trust, while direct and responsive communication ensures projects stay on track, even when timelines are tight or designs evolve. It’s a win-win for everyone, especially the OEM.
“We’re Tier 1 to each other and the OEM. That kind of mutual trust and accountability is rare.”
— Sam Laverack, Bremer Manufacturing
Together, these factors create a seamless, reliable workflow that OEMs can count on, even for their most complex machined castings.
Let’s Be Better Together
The Stecker–Bremer partnership proves that when a CNC machining shop and a foundry work in true alignment, OEMs see better outcomes at every stage, from design to delivery. By combining engineering expertise, design-for-manufacturability insight, and a culture of accountability, we turn complex casting and machining challenges into reliable solutions.
The only missing element is your OEM. Contact us to talk through your complex machining and casting project and discover the difference collaborative partnerships can make.
