This medical boot was made for walking…back to the U.S.This medical boot was made for walking…back to the U.S.

The OEM approached customer thermoformer Shepherd with a challenging problem: a medical "walking boot" that was being thermoformed and assembled in China had ongoing quality issues, including the fact that the boot's trimming was inconsistent and often in the wrong place. Todd Shepherd Shepherd Thermoforming president notes that because the boot is a medical product, its components required a high level of part detail and precision to accommodate the Velcro straps: the perfect project for Shepherd.

walking boot

Not only did Shepherd solve the quality issues, but it also provided added value by doing in-house trimming that saved the OEM assembly time. Additionally, the customer was able to take advantage of a local supplier. "We told them we can do the trimming and do it accurately and repeatedly, providing a true value-add operation using our 5-axis automated trimming equipment," says Shepherd. "The customer told us that this was really worth the effort and cost of reshoring this product."

Shepherd also notes that another customer has some high-tech components produced in Hong Kong. The problem was that many components were being damaged in shipping, something that was becoming very costly for this OEM. To ensure better protection during shipping, Shepherd designed and developed a special thermoformed tray that the company ships to the customer's supplier in Hong Kong. "We're shipping the trays to Hong Kong and our customer's supplier is shipping the parts back to the U.S. in trays formed by Shepherd. There are ways we can compete with foreign competitors and increase our business," Shepherd states. "We have to hone in on those areas where we can solve problems and enhance customer solutions and our business."