U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP)

Purdue MEP Helps Dynamic Metals Strengthen Quality Systems, Securing its Aerospace Business

With the help of: Purdue Manufacturing Extension Partnership

About

Located in Elkhart, Indiana, Dynamic Metals, LLC, is a custom metal forming company specializing in complex shapes and tight tolerances for the aerospace, defense, automotive, and rail sectors.

The Challenge

Several factors led Dynamic Metals to seek assistance from Purdue MEP, part of the MEP National Network™, for quality management system (QMS) support. First, the company’s clients required the addition of aerospace certification AS13100. Second, there had been a high turnover of personnel who needed training. Finally, the volume of work had increased dramatically, requiring the team to be more effective and efficient to complete the greater volume on time.
Purdue MEP provided training that helped managers and operators understand the aerospace requirements. The professionals that came to our facilities were knowledgeable and very flexible with our work schedules.
— Dave Ironside , Director of Quality, Dynamic Metals

MEP's Role

Purdue MEP provided quality training and consulting and performed a QMS internal audit for Dynamic Metals. The quality training focused on process failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA), basic statistical process control, measurement systems analysis, and 8D problem solving.

Utilizing funding secured through Purdue MEP and the QMS expertise of center staff, Dynamic Metals has improved the quality of its products and increased the skills of its workforce. Aerospace manufacturing, both commercial or military, comprises 80% of Dynamic Metals’ revenue now, an increase from 60-70% in the last few years. This growth has indicated that aerospace manufacturing is a significant portion of the company's business. Without the QMS support, Dynamic Metals would have been in jeopardy of losing millions of dollars in the aerospace business because the various AS certifications are a contractual requirement. 

Additionally, because the company uses a single QMS standard, the remainder of their business has been positively impacted. For example, the QMS standard applied to their Tesla Megapack is the same as their DOD/aerospace applications. Dynamic Metals produces structural components for the Megapack, a powerful battery that provides energy storage and support, strengthening the sustainable energy infrastructure.

Created February 14, 2025