Advantage: PATCO® Citing Reduced Costs and Greater Flexibility, PATCO® Systems Users Report That... Changes to product and processes are more easily accomodated using the PATCO® Modular Tooling System than dedicated workholding systems. "Using the old system, we had to send out the tooling to the supplier to make changes. Now all we do is change a single component or workholding attachment to a component. This change usually is done within hours instead of days." The quality of work is the same if not better than with dedicated workholding systems. "Our engineering and manufacturing teams have the same respect for the integrity of the work as with the old overbuilt tooling." Recycling of a significant portion of an original tool’s cost by reusing the standard components. "...estimated 50% reduction in the design and build costs ...compared with typical methods." "...subassembly on several programs reduced by 50% in time and cost relative to previous methods." Positive effects on preprogram build practice. "Building large bodies on surface plates ...typically took three to four weeks. The plate time is now approximately one week."