NFFS is excited to formally announce an enhancement to the ICON portal going live on October 1st, integrating the forging industry into the ICON ecosystem. This enhancement will integrate the forging industry into the state-of-the-art digital platform that already connects the casting and machining industry with business development opportunities through the DoD. ICON facilitates smarter sourcing, increases visibility across the supply chain, and accelerates the procurement of metal components critical to national security. ICON's approach addresses systemic issues like high costs, long lead times, and dwindling domestic manufacturing capacity by streamlining communication and data transfer.
By digitally connecting foundries, forgers and machine shops, ICON creates a dynamic and transparent supply chain. Instead of relying on manual processes and disparate communication channels, the network provides a centralized portal where DLA requirements are matched to qualified manufacturers. This automated system enhances forging enhancement by:
Quickly identifying capable suppliers: ICON's comprehensive supplier database allows buyers to locate qualified domestic foundries, forgers and machine shops.- Preventing duplicate tooling: A central tooling database, which catalogs the location of existing patterns, prevents the unnecessary recreation of tooling, reducing costs and lead times.
- Automating solicitation matching: The network automatically sends relevant bid opportunities to suppliers, increasing the number of qualified bids per solicitation and reducing the number of "no-bids".
NFFS has worked closely with the Forging Industry Association (FIA) over the past year to coordinate the enhancements to the platform and to tailor features and functionality specifically to the forging industry. FIA and their members have provided key insights, data and testing so that ICON can grow to successfully adopt forgers into the portal. NFFS will continue to work closely with FIA as the new features are introduced and to market the portal directly to their members and the greater North American forging industry.
It’s exciting that ICON continues to evolve and expand its participation and functionality to become a one-stop shop for manufacturers interested in engaging with the DoD. By providing a centralized platform for smarter sourcing, automating key aspects of the procurement process, and strategically incorporating advanced manufacturing technologies, ICON helps overcome the traditional hurdles of the defense supply chain. The result is a more agile, secure, and cost-effective ecosystem for delivering the critical cast, forged and machined components necessary for national security.