This page is written for the sourcing and supply-chain manager who has to qualify a new machined parts supplier. Second-sourcing is not a name search. It is a qualification project with a documentation trail, a first article, and a capacity commitment behind it. Wexmar is built to be that second source. We run production CNC machining in Canastota, New York, and we are set up to stand up a qualified second lane for a part you already buy elsewhere.
Why a second source
Single sourcing is a concentration risk. One supplier with a capacity crunch, a quality escape, a fire, or a financial problem can stop your line. Dual sourcing spreads that risk across two qualified vendors so a disruption at one does not halt production. It also gives you leverage on price and lead time and a proven place to shift volume when demand spikes. The point of a second source is supply chain resilience, the ability to keep parts flowing when your primary cannot.
Second-sourcing is a qualification project
Treating second-sourcing as a project, rather than picking a name from a list, is what makes it hold up. A typical qualification runs like this.
| Stage | What happens | Evidence produced |
|---|---|---|
| Package handoff | Prints, TDP, specs, and flowdowns transfer to us | Controlled drawing at a known revision |
| Supplier assessment | You review our capability, quality system, and compliance posture | Baseline documentation set |
| First article | We machine and inspect the first part to the print | AS9102-style FAI, ballooned drawing, CMM report |
| Pilot lot | A small production lot proves repeatability | In-process and final inspection records |
| Approval | You add Wexmar to the approved vendor list | Qualified second source, ready for release |
We move through these stages with you rather than asking you to take capability on faith. That is the difference between a quote and a qualified vendor.
Baseline documentation for approval
To get through supplier approval, your team needs a documentation baseline. We provide it up front.
- Company and facility identity, CAGE 16AD7, UEI XY4KWNPR6ES5, SAM.gov registration.
- NAICS 332710 and 332721.
- Quality posture: ISO 9001 aligned, not certified, with documented process control.
- NIST SP 800-171 at 110 of 110 in SPRS for programs with cybersecurity flowdowns.
- Material certifications and DFARS material traceability on request.
- Equipment list and inspection capability for your commodity review.
See our machine list for the detail a commodity manager needs to score us against your primary.
First article via CMM
The technical gate on any second source is the first article. We perform first article inspection in house and deliver AS9102-style documentation measured on two Brown & Sharpe CMMs. Characteristic accountability on a ballooned drawing lets your engineers compare our first article against the incumbent part feature by feature. If the second source part measures to the same print with the same evidence, the qualification is defensible. Our inspection and quality program carries the method.
Capacity to hold a second lane
A second source is only useful if it has room. With 10 CNC lathes, 4 Maier Swiss-type machines, and 6 Mazak horizontal machining centers, we have the spindle count to hold a real production lane alongside our existing work, not just take an occasional overflow lot. When your primary stumbles, the whole point is that we can absorb the volume on short notice. We machine carbon and alloy steels, stainless including 303, 304, 316, and 17-4 PH, Nitronic 50 and high-nickel alloys including Inconel, aluminum, brass, bronze, titanium, and engineered plastics, across quantities from prototype through long production.
Made in USA
All machining is performed in house in the United States. For programs with domestic sourcing requirements, a Made in USA second source is often the whole reason for the exercise, and it keeps your supply base compliant while adding resilience. Start the qualification with a package through request a quote, or send a first part for an instant quote.