carlsbad contract manufacturing Archives - Page 13 of 22

More Companies Using U.S. Contract Manufacturers Over Asian Firms

June 21, 2019 By meiadmin

Contract manufacturers produce products under the label or brand of the company that hires them. Businesses often enlist the help of a CM to fulfill orders in periods of high demand and to reduce costs and time to market.

Utilizing a contract manufacturer is an extremely smart business move. Businesses across a wide range of industries turn to contract manufacturers to help with the production of a wide range of products and components.

Until recently, companies frequently outsourced their manufacturing to Asia. However, labor rates in Asia have risen steeply over the past few years, causing manufacturing costs to rise. This has bridged the gap between Asian and American contract manufacturers. In fact, when you consider manufacturing costs, customs fees, shipping charges, duties, and other fees, producing products in Asia costs about the same as producing them in the United States.

Outsourcing Production to a U.S. Based Contract Manufacturer

When outsourcing production to another country, it can be difficult to know for sure what’s happening with your order. Communication problems are common due to time differences and language barriers. Shipping issues can delay the time it takes to receive products. Products traveling from Asian countries must pass customs and businesses must meet strict requirements before receiving their product. Costs can add up if additional paperwork is required. Delays can lead to expensive storage charges while problems get sorted out.

There are numerous benefits to partnering with a U.S. based contract manufacturer. When you work with an American firm like Means Engineering, you’ll always know the status of your order. You’ll also have intellectual property protection. American CMs operate under U.S. law which ensures compliance with labor laws. When you outsource the work to another country, you risk contracting a firm that uses unethical labor sources.

At Means Engineering, we provide clear communication throughout the entire process. We work directly with you from concept to completion to ensure you get exactly what you want when you want it.

Means Engineering provides a variety of contract manufacturing services. Please contact us for more information.

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.