CMPH U-Support Bracket
T&D Metal Products has been the manufacturer of the CMPH U-Support Bracket since 2011. What started as a six-piece prototype run has grown into a program producing over 45,000 units a year, built on a foundation of investment, and a consistent commitment to the customer relationship.
T&D brings a full suite of capabilities to this program including stamping on a 600-ton press with a 12-foot bed, in-house powder coat painting, PEM nut insertion, Gardner paint testing, and complete packaging. The bracket requires close-tolerance forming, a durable powder-coat finish, and integrated hardware, making each of those capabilities essential to delivering a high-quality part.
When the program launched in 2011, the original multi-piece bracket design carried a tooling estimate of $47,050. T&D’s engineering team saw an opportunity to do something better. Using the company’s large-format press, they designed a one-piece bracket that replaced loose fasteners with PEM Nuts for a cleaner, more reliable part. The catch was that one-piece tooling cost $105,000, nearly $58,000 more than the customer had budgeted.
T&D faced a choice: pass the overrun to the customer, walk away from the better design, or find another way.
Fourteen years into the program, a new challenge surfaced. In December 2025, paint quality concerns were reported on finished brackets held at the customer’s facility. Defects included bubbling, chipping, surface contamination, and exposed metal, indicating that something had gone wrong during surface preparation or painting. With inventory on hand and production continuity at stake, T&D needed to act quickly.
T&D chose to absorb the $57,950 overage entirely, funding it in exchange for the production work. It was a straightforward decision rooted in long-term commitment: deliver the better part, invest in the relationship, and trust that the program would justify it. Tooling was completed in under 5 months, prototypes shipped in September 2011, and production followed shortly thereafter.
T&D has maintained the stamping tooling at its own expense ever since. In November 2020, the team upgraded the die with nitrogen gas springs to replace conventional press air cushions, a capital investment that improved draw pad pressure consistency and extended tooling life, at no cost to the customer.
T&D’s response began immediately. Within days of notification, a T&D team was on-site at the customer’s facility sorting and containing affected inventory. The paint line was shut down by December 29th for deep cleaning and full reconditioning. By early January, updated work instructions were in place, a revised packaging design was underway, and piece inspections had been formalized as standard practice.
On the technical side, T&D developed paint test aligned with the customer’s Powder Coat Test Report, confirmed all Gardner testing equipment was operational, and worked directly with the paint vendor to run full data packs through the cure oven, validating temperatures and line speeds before any additional parts were shipped. T&D also engaged the PEM Nut vendor to explore an improved fastener that could address paint-in-threads issues and deliver a cost saving in the process.
The corrective action report was completed and returned to the customer the same day it was received. By February 4th, T&D hosted the customer team for an on-site quality review and plant tour.
The immediate outcome was containment and continuity. Defective inventory was identified and pulled before it reached the customer’s production line. Conforming replacement parts were delivered to the customer within two weeks. The paint line was re-qualified against updated specifications before a single additional bracket shipped.
The longer result is that the program is stronger for having been tested. Paint test methods are now formally documented, inspections are more rigorous, and packaging has improved. And the relationship, rather than fraying under pressure, held, in part because T&D responded not defensively, but with full transparency and urgency.
Over 14 years, T&D funded $57,950 in tooling overages, maintained the die at its own expense, delivered a voluntary price reduction, and fully reconditioned the paint process. The investment has been consistent from day one.
The CMPH U-Support Bracket is a case study in what a manufacturing partnership looks like when it is taken seriously. T&D did not win this program on price alone in 2011. They won it by engineering a better part and funding the difference. They have kept it by maintaining tooling, improving processes, and giving ground on price when they could.
When quality issues arose in 2025, the response reflected the same values: rapid response and visible actions. That consistency, across 14 years and through a serious quality challenge, is what a long-term partnership actually looks like.
The lesson is simple: invest in better design, even when it costs more. Own the problem when something goes wrong. Treat the relationship as something worth protecting at every step, not just when it is convenient.