Manufacturing Optimization

 

Production Process

A couple of things that can get the product to the customer quickly would be a couple of things. One would be a first article inspection verses a first piece check if you will. A first article will require a full blown process check on every critical dimension that there is on the part. So it would really depend upon what the customer is asking us for, how critical it is. Basically if it is more critical verses form, fit and function where we can just go and get the part out to the customer quickly.

Form Fit and Function

Form, fit and function is where as you have a print that gives you exact tolerances or exact dimensions. Fit, form and function would be maybe the part isn’t exactly to tolerance of the print, however if they are going to install it into a product line or into their line of service it still works and it is functional therefore it is a good part to them.

Ideas For A Quick Turnaround

Some other key ideas for quick turnaround would be just anything that is upfront from the processing side, are the critical dimensions to check. Do they have a DFX file that we can cut, that we can go right to the product line and we can get it done, verses a hand drawing or a drawing on paper, hard copy that would require a little more finesse, a little more time for us to be able to decipher through.

Delivery of The Product

A couple of things if we do deliver a product to our customer so say if a customer is more than a couple of hours away, maybe it would make more sense to have things overnighted to them. Raw materials are very important, if it is customer supplied material, how quickly can they get that to us? Verses maybe how quickly we can get it from our vendor so those are other areas that would help us get the product to them quicker.