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Applied Motion Systems
Do you ever feel like you’ve just given your best work away for free?
If you’re in manufacturing engineering and factory automation, this dilemma probably feels all too familiar: pouring your team’s expertise (and time, and money, and energy, and, and, and…) into opportunities that never turn into revenue.
For Applied Motion Systems (AMS), a leader in motion centric factory automation and machine design, this wasn’t just a feeling. Years of free engineering had left them underpaid and undervalued — to the point that their work was being used to write specs, win competitive bids, and land projects… just not always for them.
“We often did a fair amount of free engineering in an effort to win the job. Sometimes we’d even build a prototype machine, and we had customers who would then take our drawings and code and give them to somebody else as a starting point. Finding ways to communicate the value that we bring to the table and getting compensated for it were the biggest wins in our work with Kinesis.”
– Ken Brown, Owner & Founder
AMS’ Quantum Leap
In the world of motion control and automation, the traditional way of working is high stakes: massive, fixed-price bids that can span months or years of effort. With the crushing pressure of an all-or-nothing bid, it’s no wonder that AMS (along with everyone else) often engineered a solution in advance just to win the business… but it was a gamble that too often went unpaid.
“Kinesis surfaced things I’d never thought about before… like the concept of ‘getting paid to think.’ They asked, ‘What is your secret sauce, how do we help you get recognition for that, get paid for it, and find the right kind of customers who value it?’”
– Ken Brown, Owner & Founder
Kinesis worked with AMS to completely rethink how they approach projects, starting with a simple but transformative idea: What if expertise could be its own product?
“Kinesis asked, ‘If you could do this any way you wanted, what would that look like? What are the areas of risk? What if we could get paid to do some testing to remove that risk?’ Basically, taking something that normally would be a million-dollar P.O. for a fixed-price project and turning it into maybe six P.O.s that dramatically lower the risk, likely lower the end price, and have a much higher probability of success — both for the customer and for us.”
– Ken Brown, Owner & Founder
Together, we developed their Phased Development Process (PDP), a proprietary collaborative approach that reduces risk and accelerates machine building and integration. Rather than gambling on a million-dollar, all-or-nothing bid, AMS can now deliver value incrementally: each phase solidifies the concept further and, in turn, streamlines and informs each subsequent phase.
“We brainstormed a process, and then within probably a month, I had an opportunity to bid a project using this process. That was machine number one, and we did lose a bit of money on it, but today I have machines 15, 16, 17, and 18 sitting on my shop floor bringing in 40% margin. A highly specialized machine that our customer highly values, and therefore we don’t feel embarrassed about pricing it in a way to be able to share in that value.”
– Ken Brown, Owner & Founder
In addition to shaping the process, we also helped AMS articulate its value — in the form of a new brand, website, and clear messaging. This also included tools for their sales team to help customers immediately understand the benefits of this model. As a result, they’re now able to identify right-fit customers earlier and exercise sound stewardship in selecting projects that align with their strengths and values.
“So many companies have their shtick, and it’s one-size-fits-all. Kinesis was really good about figuring out our specific value proposition and focusing on that. It helped us know what to keep, what to accentuate, and what kind of work to turn away. Now, when customers ask us to develop a machine from scratch and they want a firm fixed price, we propose the PDP approach and if they aren’t interested, we look elsewhere for good work and customers that understand and embrace the value of our PDP approach.”
– Ken Brown, Owner & Founder
Designed to clearly articulate AMS’s engineering brilliance and phased approach, the new website has become a magnet for customers who value their expertise, understand the complexity of their work, and are willing to invest in a better collaborative outcome. Not to mention, it’s also attracted the attention of top-tier engineers — drawn to the company’s culture and innovative spirit.
“We have case studies on our website of different technical challenges we’ve addressed. Occasionally, we’ll get an inquiry from a customer who says, ‘Hey, this is our exact problem. Can you help us with this?’ Or as a recruiting tool: People will just email saying ‘I’m moving to the area, and I saw your website, and I really think what you guys do is pretty cool. Are you hiring?’ That is really amazing.”
– Ken Brown, Owner & Founder
Experience your
QUANTUM
LEAP
Refining their process empowered AMS to focus on the work — and the customers — that matter most. What would that kind of clarity unlock for your business?
“I wish I had called Kinesis 10 years sooner. As an entrepreneur, I’ve always been driven to figure things out by myself. But along the way, I’ve grown to realize there are people with talents that I simply don’t have. The Kinesis team wakes up in the morning with fresh ideas. They can see things that I don’t naturally see; it’s effortless for them. They get joy out of creating stuff, fixing stuff, and solving problems that help people communicate what they can do.”
– Ken Brown, Owner & Founder
Initiate your
quantum leap.
What would reaching the next level mean for your business? Let’s start there. Fill out the form, and we’ll be in touch to explore what’s possible together.