How SentriLock Overcame Supply Chain Disruption with Prototype-to-Production Support
When SentriLock, a leader in real estate lockbox solutions, experienced a critical supply chain disruption, the company turned a business challenge into an opportunity for innovation and operational improvement through a partnership with Xometry.
The Challenge: When Supply Chains Break Down
SentriLock is a real estate management platform known for its innovative electronic lockboxes that give agents flexible access to properties via codes or the SentriKey® app. As a leader in the industry, SentriLock continually invests in product improvements to maintain its competitive edge and deliver exceptional value to its users.
However, the company’s initiative to onshore its manufacturing operations hit a major snag when onshoring a redesign of the lockbox key bin failed validation.
The Solution: Prototype-to-Production Partnership
With limited time to rework the design and find new suppliers, SentriLock engaged Xometry for support in redesign, prototyping, and scaling domestic production.
Will Kefauver, SentriLock’s senior lead product development engineer at the time, explained: “I couldn't have done this without the robustness of Xometry’s partner network. I had a certain budget that had to be met. I had target pricing. And what I really loved about Xometry was I could share those parameters with them and ask, ‘How close can you get?’”
Xometry leveraged its extensive supplier network and manufacturing technology to:
- Use additive manufacturing for initial prototyping and design validation
- Transition to urethane casting for an efficient ramp-up to full-scale tooling
- Minimize lead times and support rapid design iteration
"It is unusual to have the good fortune of lower cost, higher availability, simplified assembly, better reliability and increased production throughput in one part change. You certainly shoot for that, but it is rare to have everything come together where you hit every goal. Xometry was a great partner in working closely with SentriLock’s engineering team to deliver these great results."
Seamless Logistics Support
To prevent assembly line downtime, Xometry coordinated a creative logistics solution. Based on the budget requirements, Xometry presented a solution to have the tooling made in China. The process involved manufacturing two months’ worth of injection-molded plastic parts in China, which were air-freighted to the U.S., ensuring continued assembly operations. The injection molding tool itself was then ocean-freighted for setup in the U.S., supporting the transition to domestic production.
With all these moving parts, streamlined communication played a crucial role. SentriLock worked through a single point of contact at Xometry, eliminating the miscommunication that can come from using multiple vendors. “I would have had to talk to at least six other vendors if it wasn't for Xometry. The fact that I had just one point of contact made it much more efficient for me,” Kefauver said.
Achieving Results: Cost Savings and Increased Production
By redesigning the key bin with fewer components and onshoring production, SentriLock achieved significant improvements:
- 25% reduction in part count, resulting in annual material savings of $780,000
- Fewer assembly steps, doubling lockbox production from 700 to 1,300 units daily
Scott Fisher, CEO of SentriLock, said: “It is unusual to have the good fortune of lower cost, higher availability, simplified assembly, better reliability and increased production throughput in one part change. You certainly shoot for that, but it is rare to have everything come together where you hit every goal. Xometry was a great partner in working closely with SentriLock’s engineering team to deliver these great results."
