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Making the Most of Your Relationship with Your Contract Manufacturer

February 14, 2020 By meiadmin

Companies must make strategic decisions to keep costs low. One of the biggest decisions facing companies today is the choice between manufacturing in-house and outsourcing to an experienced contract manufacturer.

Utilizing a CM makes it possible for companies to develop high quality products without having to acquire additional equipment, machinery, space, or people. This provides significant benefits to companies of all shapes and sizes.

The right CM not only helps keep manufacturing costs low, they also help improve the quality and consistency of products produced. Contract manufacturers often have years of manufacturing experience and utilize advanced technologies for testing and quality assurance. These are experts in their field, able to help companies grow and expand into new markets. Perhaps the greatest benefit of outsourcing is that it frees up time, allowing companies to focus on growing their brand. This can make all the difference in the world in today’s competitive landscape.

In order to take full advantage of the benefits of outsourcing, companies must develop and maintain a good relationship with their CM. That starts from the first interview with a potential CM.

Contract Negotiations

The contract helps determine the specifics of the project including important details like cost. This part of the process is crucial to the development of a mutually beneficial relationship with the CM. Contract negotiations is the best time to determine and identify any limitations of the CM in regards to production capacity and the time required for quality control.

Establishing a Mutually Beneficial Relationship

It’s important that both company and contract manufacturer realize they share a symbiotic relationship; the success of one contributes to the success of the other. This is why it’s so important that companies take the time and effort necessary to build a lasting relationship with the CM.

Quality Parameters

Utilizing a contract manufacturer can significantly improve the quality of products produced. However, it’s important that companies establish stringent quality parameters right from the start. Even better, companies should choose a contract manufacturer that already has quality check parameters in place.

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

Why Quality Product Design Matters

February 7, 2020 By meiadmin

Companies today are under a lot of pressure to produce exciting new products. Although it can be tempting to skimp on quality in order to push out new products, this can negatively affect your business. Consumers have extremely high expectations, and producing poor quality products not only increases the chance of costly returns and recalls, it also hurts your company’s reputation with consumers. No one wants to spend money on an inferior product. In today’s competitive atmosphere, releasing just one poorly made product could impact your chance of future sales.

Better Products Begin With Quality Design

Quality products begin with quality design plans. It simply isn’t possible to create a good product without having a clear understanding of what works and what does not. This is where outsourcing can help. The right CM can fully analyze your design plans to locate areas that could benefit from improvement. This is usually something simple like a change of material or process. Sometimes, these changes fix a problem with the original design.

Catching problems early can save a lot a time and money in the future. Often, CM changes made to design plans improve the quality of the finished product. They might even reduce the costs involved with production.

Contract Manufacturers Provide a Variety of Design, Manufacturing, and Quality Assurance Services

Experienced contract manufacturers have years of experience working with a wide range of industries. Utilizing a CM’s help during the design process provides access to a wealth of information and expertise. It also provides a fresh set of eyes that might catch something that those closer to the project did not. Even companies with extensive experience creating design plans and successful products can benefit from outsourcing.

Contract manufacturers often provide a variety of services. In addition to assisting with product design, CMs also provide manufacturing and quality assurance testing services. Businesses of all shapes and sizes utilize contract manufacturers.

Means Engineering provides contract manufacturing services for businesses across a wide range of industries. When you work with Means Engineering, we work directly with you from concept to completion. Please contact us to learn more about our services.

Emerging Trends May Have Lasting Impact on the Manufacturing Industry

January 31, 2020 By meiadmin

Every year, the manufacturing industry sees trends come and go. While some of these trends make very little difference to the industry as a whole, others have a major impact. Research suggests that several new and emerging manufacturing trends and technologies will affect the industry for many years to come.

Internet of Things (IoT) Technology

Although not a new concept, the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to impact the manufacturing industry over the next few years. As consumers and businesses demand more IoT devices, manufacturers will need to implement IoT technology into everything from medical devices to household appliances. Soon, almost every device used will connect to the Internet in some way or other. It’s important that manufacturers keep up with this important technology.

When it comes to manufacturers, manufacturing businesses will need to implement IoT technologies into production if they wish to remain competitive. When used throughout production, IoT technology increases operational efficiency and productivity, while eliminating the risk of human error.

Predictive Maintenance

Proper operation of machinery and equipment is crucial to the success of every manufacturer. This is why several manufacturers have already begun utilizing predictive analysis to identify problems with equipment sooner, before they are able to halt or slow production. Predictive maintenance analyzes production data and “learns” patterns. This helps recognize when something isn’t right.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Although manufacturing businesses use AR for multiple purposes, the most common include equipment maintenance and product design and development improvements. Augmented reality (AR) allows manufacturers to view 3D images of equipment and/or product designs. Users can view multiple parts and drill down to view specific components. Much like virtual reality, AR could be a game changer for the manufacturing industry in coming years.

Cybersecurity

As more devices and businesses connect to the Internet, the need for cybersecurity becomes increasingly important. Manufacturing businesses will need to consider the cybersecurity of their devices as well as the devices they create for their customers. In order to avoid potential problems, every manufacturing business will need to implement a clear and effective cybersecurity strategy as soon as possible.

How to Present Your Idea to a Contract Manufacturer

January 24, 2020 By meiadmin

Although there are numerous benefits to working with a contract manufacturer, presenting a CM with new ideas can intimidate even the most confident OEM. When pitching an idea, it’s important to do so in a way that encourages the development of a long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with the CM. Making the right pitch to a potential outsourcing partner not only helps develop the relationship, it also allows the OEM to practice and refine their pitch for customers and vendors.

Choosing a Contract Manufacturer

Once a business has an idea, they typically conduct market research to determine how their intended audience perceives their idea. If successful, they must then locate a potential CM to work with.

For best results, OEMs should choose a contract manufacturer with years of experience creating products for a wide range of markets. This helps ensure they have the resources available to expand into new markets. The CM should have the proper equipment, experience, and technology to produce the types of products required.

During the interview process, the OEM should present their idea clearly and concisely. This first impression helps build the foundation for the relationship with the manufacturing partner.

In addition to providing a detailed business plan, it’s a good idea for the OEM to have some questions prepared before the first communication with the CM. Common questions revolve around:

Production minimums
Prototype/sampling process
Turnaround time
Lead times

Once the OEM has clearly presented the idea to the contract manufacturer, the CM will determine the price of the project based on quantity and materials.

Every company has different needs when it comes to timeline, price, experience, and capabilities. These needs often vary from project to project. It’s important that the OEM dedicates an appropriate amount of time and effort into finding the right contract manufacturer. Taking the time now can go a long way towards a successful and long lasting relationship with the CM.

Southern California Contract Manufacturer

Means Engineering, Inc. provides a wide range of contract manufacturing services. We have helped many OEMs turn their ideas into reality. Please contact us for more information about our services.

Top Benefits of Working With a Contract Manufacturer

January 17, 2020 By meiadmin

Companies often find they do not have the capacity to bring new products to market. Unfortunately, this can have a major impact on their success and their ability to compete. This is especially true for businesses in highly competitive industries.

Working with a contract manufacturer allows businesses to create new products for less money than producing them in-house. In addition to significant cost-savings, there are numerous other benefits to working with an experienced CM.

Companies of all shapes and sizes can benefit from working with a contract manufacturer. Smaller companies and start-ups often utilize CMs to help bring new products to market. The CM might help with some or all parts of production. Larger organizations typically utilize CMs to help fulfill periods of high demand. Whatever the reason, CMs provide valuable services to a wide range of organizations.

Fast Turnaround

It takes time to create designs, build prototypes, and test new products. In order to create new products, companies that must first obtain the appropriate people, machinery, and space to complete the project. Using a contract manufacturer provides instant access to experienced designers and project managers. Most CMs have years of experience and understand what works and what does not. They maintain a full staff and utilize the latest equipment, techniques, and technologies. This helps ensure quick turnaround.

Quality Controls

Experienced contract manufacturers will have a Quality Management System in place. These CMs test every single part and component to ensure the quality and consistency of every product produced. This also helps catch issues sooner, when they’re easier to fix. By increasing the quality of products produced, companies increase customer satisfaction.

When choosing a contract manufacturer, make sure to look for an ISO-certified CM.

Cost Savings

A qualified contract manufacturer provides a number of services including product design, complex assembly, welding, clean room assembly, printed circuit board assembly, and precision machining. Hiring a contract manufacturer provides access to all of these services without the high costs of labor, manufacturing equipment, and supplies. This saves a considerable amount of money over producing products in-house.

Means Engineering offers a wide range of contract manufacturing services. Please contact us for details.