southern california contract manufacturer Archives - Page 12 of 15

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.

Wastes of Lean Manufacturing

May 10, 2019 By meiadmin

In the manufacturing industry, waste refers to any action or step that does not add value to the customer. These are all of the little extras within a process that the customer does not want to pay for. The goal of lean manufacturing is to remove waste from the manufacturing process.

Taiichi Ohno, father of the Toyota Production System (TPS) identified the original seven wastes of manufacturing. An eighth waste was added in the 1990s when TPS was adopted by the western world. The 8 wastes of lean manufacturing include:

Transportation
Inventory
Motion
Waiting
Over-production
Over-processing
Defects
Skills

It’s important that manufacturers learn all they can about wastes in the manufacturing process.

Transportation

Waste in transportation occurs when people, tools, inventory, equipment, or products must be moved further than reasonably necessary. Manufacturers can eliminate transportation waste by ensuring workers have everything they need to complete each project close at hand. This includes, but is not limited to, all necessary people, equipment, tools, and materials.

Inventory

Excessive inventory can cause problems for manufacturers. Having too much inventory can lead to damaged materials, greater lead times, and inefficient allocation of capital. Problems such as over-purchasing and over-production often result in extra inventory. In order to combat waste, manufacturers should purchase raw materials only when they need them, reduce buffers between production steps, and create a queue system to prevent over-production.

Motion

Waste in motion includes any extra movement required to complete a task. This includes having to walk to fetch tools or materials and spending excessive amounts of time searching through inventory. Keeping work spaces organized, materials close at hand, and reducing inventory can help eliminate waste caused by motion.

Waiting

Waste occurs when staff must wait for materials or equipment, email responses, and computer programs to load. Using standardized work instructions and utilizing multi-skilled workers who are better equipped to adjust to changing demands is the best way to eliminate waste caused by waiting.

Over-Production

Producing more products than required can create a lot of waste. Manufacturers should take care to only produce as many products as required.

Over-Processing

Over-processing occurs when staff performs more steps or adds more components than required to complete the project. Before starting any project, its important staff fully understands what the customer wants. This sets the standard for what needs to be done.

Defects

An obvious cause of waste, defects require scrapping and reworking of products. The best way to prevent waste caused by defects is to fully test all components throughout production.

Skills

Although not part of the original seven wastes, most manufacturers recognize the waste caused by not utilizing employee skills and talents. Manufacturers can prevent waste by allowing staff members to provide input and throughout the manufacturing process.

How Outsourcing Can Give You a Competitive Edge

May 3, 2019 By meiadmin

Working with a contract manufacturer is an excellent way to cut costs on production. However, this shouldn’t be your only focus. The right contract manufacturer can provide your company with the competitive edge you need to excel in your industry. There are numerous benefits to outsourcing if you’re able to properly leverage the value of your manufacturing partner.

Free Up Resources

Companies spend a significant amount of time and money producing new products. Outsourcing part or all of your production helps free up your resources. This allows you to focus on what really matters; growing your business.

Improve Time to Market

Thanks to advances in technology, consumers expect new products at an alarming rate. Many companies find it difficult to meet consumer demand. Outsourcing increases operational efficiency and reduces the time it takes to bring new products to market. This allows you to react faster to consumer demand, putting you ahead of your competition and increasing consumer trust and loyalty in your brand.

Improve Quality

Quality is extremely important to consumers today. Outsourcing helps improve the quality of finished products. During the design process, a contract manufacturer can help locate areas of your design that could benefit from improvement. This further reduces the cost of production and results in a better quality product. Your contract manufacturer will fully test all components throughout production to ensure their proper operation.

Expand Into New Markets

A quality contract manufacturer has years of experience working with several different industries. This provides you with access to the right tools, resources, technology, and knowledge to expand into new markets.

Final Thoughts

Outsourcing can provide your business with numerous benefits. In addition to cutting costs, the right contract manufacturer can help your business improve its chance of success. This is especially important in today’s competitive world.

Means Engineering, Inc. has years of experience working with a wide range of industries to provide a variety of services. From design to production, our team is well prepared to help your business succeed. Please contact us for more information about our contract manufacturing services.