Means Engineering, Inc.

Product development engineering in medical, industrial, semiconductor equipment & military with a standard of excellence in form, function and design.

(760) 931-9452 | info@meanseng.com
5927 Geiger Court, Carlsbad, CA 92008-7305

Should Your Electronic Business Use a Contract Manufacturer?

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Hiring a contract manufacturer provides numerous benefits to businesses in the electronics industry. Working with a quality CM has been shown to reduce costs, improve quality and customer satisfaction, while reducing time to market. With access to experienced professionals and high quality tools and technology, the right partnership can provide the extra boost you need to grow and expand into new markets.

If you’ve been wondering if your electronics business could benefit from hiring a contract manufacturer you’re not alone. Many people struggle with the decision of outsourcing. While outsourcing might not be the right choice for every business, failing to explore your options could cost you a lot of time and money. Read on to learn whether your electronic business could benefit from working with a contract manufacturer.

Your Design Process Could Benefit From Streamlining

The electronics industry is extremely competitive. Consumers today expect new products to hit the shelf at an alarming rate. Electronics businesses often find it difficult to keep up with consumer demand. This can cause problems when the competition consistently beats your products to market.

An experienced contract manufacturer can help streamline your design process and reduce holdups that are common in house. This makes it possible to bring new products to market sooner.

You Can’t Fulfill Large Orders

If your business struggles to fulfill large orders it’s probably time to consider outsourcing. It takes a lot of time, people, space, and equipment to produce large amounts of electronic products. Outsourcing takes the stress and expense off your shoulders, making it possible to fulfill large orders without requiring additional time or money.

You’re Spending Too Much on Design or Production Problems

Problems with design or production can cost your business a lot of time and money. A contract manufacturer can help if you’re spending too much money and effort fixing design or production problems. The right contract manufacturer helps you spot problems sooner, when they are easier (and less expensive) to resolve.

Means Engineering provides contract manufacturing services designed to help our clients succeed. Please contact us to learn how we can help your electronics business.

 

What is Contract Manufacturing?

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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.

 

Wastes of Lean Manufacturing

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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.

 

Creating High Quality Products for the Aerospace and Defense Industries

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At Means Engineering, we understand the importance of reliable and capable manufacturing services, especially when it comes to the Aerospace and Defense industries. Products for these industries must meet strict requirements for quality and reliability.

Industry Expertise

Our team has several years of experience creating high quality products for the Aerospace and Defense industries. Means Engineering’s commitment to quality ensures that every product produced meets exact specifications and requirements. Our streamlined process ensures the production of products in a timely and efficient manner.

Means Engineering provides more than just manufacturing, we provide innovative solutions that help increase quality and reduce the cost of production. We provide electrical and mechanical assemblies, constructed to withstand harsh conditions both on the ground and in the air.

We utilize the best people, technologies, and practices. This puts us in the best possible position to ensure the quality and consistency of every product produced. Whether providing design services, testing, or full manufacturing services, we always strive to exceed our customer’s expectations.

Providing Innovation and Comprehensive Design

We understand the unique challenges organizations face when creating new products. Our turn-key capabilities provide an intelligent route from concept to market. This simplifies product development and provides a simple solution to cumbersome outsourcing issues.

Our experienced design team provides a second set of eyes for design plans. Through years of experience working with the Defense and Aerospace industries, we have refined our process to locate areas that could benefit from improvement. Our testing services allow us to test a wide range of parts and assemblies to ensure their proper operation, even when exposed to rigorous environments.

Means Engineering uses a lean manufacturing process specially designed to meet a number of order fulfillment requirements. We provide a customized approach to provide the greatest level of value and convenience to our clients.

One-Stop Source for Product Development

Means Engineering is a one-stop source for comprehensive product development and manufacturing services. Our team brings a high level of expertise and innovation to every project. We have experience working with several industries including Medical, Industrial, Aerospace, and Defense. Our integrated approach ensures high quality results time and time again.

 

 

Why Contract Manufacturing?

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Contract manufacturers create products under the name or brand of another business. Utilizing a contract manufacturer has numerous benefits. However, many companies struggle with the decision to outsource some or all of their production.

The following explains how the right contract manufacturer can benefit your business and increase your bottom line.

Less Expensive Than Producing Products In-House

Companies that choose to produce products in-house must acquire the necessary people, space, equipment, and technology. This can cost a lot of money. You will also need to spend time locating and training competent staff.

When you hire a contract manufacturer, everything is included. Contract manufacturers often have years of experience working with multiple industries. They also have access to state-of-the-art technology and equipment. This gives you an edge when creating products for demanding industries such as the aerospace and defense industries.

Better Quality Products

Contract manufacturers are experts in their field. They provide a second set of eyes for your design plans. This helps locate ways to improve quality, reduce costs, and reduce the time it takes to bring products to market. This might involve changing certain materials or changing measurements or processes. Whatever the case, every change your contract manufacturer makes is carefully considered to ensure the quality and consistency of the end product.

Simplify Your Supply Chain

Many organizations are dealing with a complex supply chain. Hiring a contract manufacturer helps simplify the supply chain by reducing the number of links in the chain. This makes your supply chain more dependable and easier to manage.

Choosing a Contract Manufacturer

Not all contract manufacturers are created equal. The contract manufacturer you choose should have ample experience and the people, skills, and equipment needed to produce and test a wide range of products.

Means Engineering Inc. has experience working with several industries, including demanding industries such as defense and aerospace. Our team is well prepared to help your organization design, produce, and test a variety of products. We work directly with you to ensure that the products we create meet your exact specifications and requirements. We provide tips on how to improve the quality of your products, while reducing cost and time-to-market.

 

 

ABOUT US

MEI features depth of experience in medical, industrial, semiconductor equipment and military products. All product development efforts start with a unique set of requirements, yet we deliver results that share a common standard of excellence in form, function and design.

Our turn-key capabilities provide smart, simple solutions to cumbersome outsourcing issues, and provide our clients with an intelligent route from concept to market.

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