meiadmin, Author at Means Engineering, Inc.

Using Contract Manufacturing to Grow Your Business

June 14, 2019 By meiadmin

New technologies have changed the way that people shop for products. More people purchase products online than ever before. The availability and ease of online shopping has made it possible for businesses to reach more clients in a shorter amount of time.

If you’ve considered selling your products online you’re not alone. Millions of companies have already began offering products through the Internet. In fact, if you don’t have a way for people to buy your products online, you’re already missing out on a lot of business.

Before offering your products online, you need to make sure you can keep up with demand. This can be difficult with the high cost of machinery, people, and supplies. Many businesses simply do not have the resources needed to produce products in house. This is where a contract manufacturer can help.

Contract Manufacturers Help Companies Reduce Costs and Time to Market

The right contract manufacturer can help your company produce more products in less time and at a much lower cost than producing products in house. This makes it possible to grow and expand your business through online sales without having to worry about the logistics of production.

In addition to a variety of production and design services, contract manufacturers can also help improve the overall quality of products produced. Contract manufacturers are experts in their field with years of experience creating a wide range of products. The right contract manufacturer will review your design plans to locate areas that could benefit from improvement. This might mean switching a type of material or adjusting a measurement. Generally, these changes help reduce the costs of production while improving overall quality of the finished product.

By working with a contract manufacturer, your business can produce enough products to fill even high periods of demand. This is important as you move to Internet sales, which increase your company’s visibility and the chance of sales. A contract manufacturer can help improve the quality of your products, increasing customer satisfaction and the likelihood of repeat sales.

Means Engineering offers contract manufacturing services to businesses across a wide range of industries. Please contact us for more information about our services.

What is Contract Manufacturing?

June 7, 2019 By meiadmin

We’ve all heard of situations where people turned their ideas into products and became rich seemingly overnight. While not always as easy is it seems, this can happen to anyone that has the right idea and the resources needed to bring it into fruition.

The right contract manufacturing partner can help turn ideas into reality. They work directly with the person or business to help them produce high quality products.

How it Works

An experienced contract manufacturer provides a variety of manufacturing services. They have the tools, equipment, skills, and people needed to produce a wide range of products. Companies wishing to produce products can utilize the help of a contract manufacturer for some or all parts of production. Working with a contract manufacturer can significantly reduce costs and time to market, while increasing the overall quality of the finished product.

Who Uses Contract Manufacturing Services?

Businesses of all shapes and sizes across a wide range of industries outsource to contract manufacturers. Companies use contract manufacturing services to fill periods of high demand, improve the quality of existing products, and reduce costs associated with production.

Outsourcing makes it possible for organizations to produce a wide range of products without having to acquire the space, equipment, or people needed to fulfill orders. This makes it possible for even small businesses to turn ideas into reality.

Benefits of Contract Manufacturing

Outsourcing provides numerous benefits. Utilizing a contract manufacturer costs considerably less than producing products in house. It also provides access to the knowledge and experience of industry experts. When used during design, a contract manufacturer can help locate areas that could benefit from improvement. This might include changing materials or adjusting measurements. These changes often lead to a smoother production process and faster time to market.

Means Engineering, Inc. provides a variety of contract manufacturing services. Located in Carlsbad, California, our team has years of experience assisting with design, production, and testing of a wide range of products. We work directly with each of our clients to ensure complete satisfaction. Please contact us for more information about our contract manufacturing services.

How Organizations Utilize Contract Manufacturing

May 31, 2019 By meiadmin

Businesses around the world utilize contract manufacturing. These businesses understand the benefits of partnering with a quality CM. For new businesses or businesses just starting to look into the opportunity of outsourcing, the concept of contract manufacturing can be hard one to grasp. While most people understand the general idea behind contract manufacturing, many don’t understand how or when to utilize these services.

What is a Contract Manufacturer?

A contract manufacturer helps with the production of products and components. Businesses utilize contract manufacturers during various stages of production. Some businesses use CMs to handle all parts of production from design to manufacturing.

Although other services exist, the following are the most common ways in which organizations utilize contract manufacturing.

Design Services

When utilized in the design process, a quality contract manufacturer provides a second set of eyes for design plans. The right CM will work with you to help locate areas of the design that could benefit from improvement. This is usually minor changes that improve quality and/or reduce the cost of production.

Many contract manufacturers provide a variety of design services. However, not all companies provide the same level of service. Make sure you choose a CM with experience working with the type of product you wish to offer. This is especially important when designing complex electronics products.

Production Services

Contract manufacturers produce parts or products under the name of the company that hires them. This helps reduce costs, improve time to market, and increase the overall quality of the finished product. An experienced contract manufacturer provides a variety of production services including complex box builds, precision machining, high purity welding, clean room assembly, and more.

When choosing a CM to work with, make sure you locate a respected company with robust NPI processes in place.

Product Testing

Testing helps ensure the quality and consistency of parts and products. An experienced CM will test parts and components several times throughout production. This makes it possible to catch potential issues long before they are able to cause a problem.

Means Engineering, Inc. provides a wide range of contract manufacturing services to businesses both large and small. Please contact us for more information about our design, production, and testing services.

New Product Introductions (NPI)

May 24, 2019 By meiadmin

The NPI process is one of the most important parts of contract manufacturing. This is especially true for contract manufacturers responsible for the creation of electronic products and components.

It’s important to ask about NPI processes when choosing a CM to work with. The company you choose should have robust processes in place. They should take care to ensure every product is introduced into their manufacturing operation in a tightly controlled manner.

Visibility

Contract manufacturers often have several different projects going at once. It’s important that the CM you work with has a way to alert the engineering team of new builds. Ideally, the engineering team should receive a report detailing the customer name, batch quantity, part number, work order number, customer request date, order acknowledgement date, and the name of the customer’s account manager. Once the engineering team has the report, they can create an NPI number for the order.

Data Verification

While it’s not uncommon for additional data to come after the original request for quote, this can lead to problems with production. Before beginning any work on the project, the engineering team must first verify that they have all data and equipment needed to complete the first build.

Batch Size

Prior to production, the CM must determine how many products to produce. While it can be tempting to run the entire batch quantity on the first run, this is never a good idea. Running a smaller quantity allows CMs to catch potential problems with the product prior to volume manufacturing. This can save a considerable amount of time and effort in the future.

Assembly

It’s important that the NPI engineer oversees all parts of production including testing. The notes they keep throughout this process can be used to improve the quality of the next batch.

New Products

It’s important to note that the NPI process shouldn’t be limited to brand new products. It should also apply to products that are essentially new to the CM, meaning they’ve never worked on them before.

Means Engineering, Inc. provides a variety of contract manufacturing services. Our team works directly with you throughout the NPI process. Please contact us for more information about our comprehensive services.

Choosing the Right CM for Your Business

May 17, 2019 By meiadmin

Working with a contract manufacturer provides numerous benefits to businesses both large and small. The right contract manufacturer can help a business grow and expand into new markets. They can help improve the quality of products produced, increasing customer trust and loyalty. In the electronics industry, a contract manufacturer can help businesses keep up with changing demands. While partnering with a CM can help improve the success of a business, it’s important that organizations take care when choosing a partner to work with.

Service Offerings

Contract manufacturers offer a wide range of services. While some offer production services, others offer everything from design to testing. Businesses should consider their unique needs and requirements when selecting a partner to work with.

Flexibility

Flexibility is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a contract manufacturer. The CM should have experience working with a wide range of industries. This is true even if the business does not plan to expand into new markets. Most companies find that things change as their businesses grows. Working with an experienced CM ensures that options remain open if plans change in the future.

Quality

Quality is important when producing products. This is especially true for businesses providing products and components for the medical and defense industries. Companies should look for a CM with a respected Quality Management System in place. This helps ensure the quality and consistency of every product produced.

Ensuring high quality products increases the chance of success. This is true for both new businesses and well-established companies.

Cost

Contrary to what most business owners believe, it’s not a good idea to choose the lowest priced contract manufacturer. Businesses often find that low prices become much higher once production begins. Companies should consider their needs and look for an experienced CM that can provide the services they require. Taking the time to research capabilities and strengths can go a long way towards preventing problems in the future.

Means Engineering, Inc. offers a variety of contract manufacturing services. Our team has years of experience working with numerous industries. Please contact us to learn more about our services.