When freight slows down or tariffs shift the cost of a part overnight, waiting on an outside shop is a real risk. In 2022 WSI put more than $400,000 into its own machining capability so critical parts could be designed, cut, and delivered without leaning on a long overseas queue.
That investment centers on two machines: a ShopSabre 5' x 10' CNC router and a HAAS UMC-1000 5-axis machining center. Together they cover fabrication and precision work that used to leave lead time, quality, and cost in someone else's hands.
Why it matters when tariffs and freight get loud
Global trade conditions change fast. Tariffs, freight delays, and overseas sourcing gaps can stretch lead times or knock a project schedule off course. WSI's answer is to keep critical machining inside the building.
Bringing critical machining and fabrication in-house improved product quality, reduced dependence on outside vendors, lowered production costs, and paid for itself in less than 18 months, according to Paul Rodeffer, Director of Continuous Improvement. It also let WSI design and deliver customer-specific solutions that would have been slow, expensive, or hard to source elsewhere.
What the shop can do
The ShopSabre handles large-format routing and fabrication. The HAAS UMC-1000 brings five-axis precision, with the capacity to produce highly complex components comparable to those used in professional NASCAR engine applications. That precision supports rapid prototyping, tighter engineering control, and custom parts that fit real laundry floors instead of catalog approximations.
In practice, that control shows up as shorter lead times, fewer schedule surprises on installs, and the ability to keep commitments when the supply chain around them does not.
Continuity customers can feel
During COVID, many organizations saw operations stall. WSI's engineering and machining stayed up. The same in-house platform now absorbs swings in global trade, tariffs, and overseas sourcing. Critical components stay inside the building. Project continuity stays with the customer. Cost stays more stable because fewer surprises arrive from a broker halfway around the world.
The investment strengthened WSI's competitive position and built a platform that can support customer growth without waiting on someone else's backlog.
