How a Machine Shop Finds New OEM Customers
One good OEM contract can change your whole year. The hard part is not the work, it is getting in front of the right buyer. Here is how to do that on purpose.
Landing one steady OEM customer can be worth more than a dozen one-off jobs. Predictable volume, repeat orders, a real relationship. Every shop wants more of that work. The problem is never whether you can do it. It is getting in front of the person who hands it out.
Know exactly who you are after
Not every OEM is your customer. The good targets are companies whose parts fit your equipment, your tolerances, and your volumes, in industries you already understand. Get specific. A short list of the right fifty companies beats a giant list of maybes.
Reach the buyer, not the front desk
The person who picks suppliers is a purchasing manager, a supply chain lead, or an engineer, not the general info@ inbox. Getting to the right name, with a message that shows you understand their parts, is most of the battle. That is legwork, and it is the reason most shops never start.
Show up before they are shopping
By the time an OEM posts an RFQ, they usually already have suppliers in mind. The shops that win are the ones already on the radar. That means reaching out steadily, not once, so you are a name they know when the need comes up.
mkdir does this for you. We build the list of the right OEMs, find the real buyer at each, and reach out on your behalf until the interested ones are booked on your calendar.
See how we get machine shops in front of OEM buyers.
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