A good contract manufacturer fills the gaps in their partners’ skills, capacity or capabilities. In other words, they deliver what you pay for. A great contract manufacturer does so much more.
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Your bill of materials (BOM) Your partner CM will be on constant lookout for more cost-effective parts and materials that support your product’s specifications. |
Operational excellence Your partner CM will alert you when new tools and technologies can optimize your production processes.
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Value engineering Your partner CM team will go deep, periodically re-examining the architecture of your device or system. Are certain components adding less-than-expected value (for example, does the device only use 20% of a high-end component’s capacity)? Can two PCBAs be combined into one? Any improvements of demonstrated value will be discussed with you. |
The above are ongoing and every opportunity is grasped as it comes along. There are also, however, specific, immediate and tangible steps a great CM will introduce from the very start.
Your design may be ready, but is it optimized for performance, manufacturability and cost-savings? The best time to finalize decisions is when your idea is still on paper. Your experienced team can identify ways to bring down your cost per unit without compromising on quality or jeopardizing performance.
Products with complicated technical requirements run greater risks than their simpler counterparts. For example, devices with multiple electromagnetic systems working together are more likely to fall apart during production or fail to work as intended. Not that you want to compromise on innovation or dumb down your project and with the right CM you don’t have to. A technical team with an elevated level of Radio Frequency (RF) skills and expertise ensures you can have your cake and eat it too by ensuring that complexity does not become a limiting factor in your product’s design.
An experienced CM plans work to suit even the most compressed timeline. And when the deadline isn’t that tight? Well, then they will work with you to make the most out of the time they have. So be certain to let your CM know whether your schedule has some buffer or wiggle room. Even a couple of extra weeks could allow for choices that knock a percentage off your total price tag.
Cost per unit varies according to quantities, though not always as you’d expect. Your CM will alert you when different volumes affect methods of manufacturing and recommend the best one for your requirements. They will also help you plan to minimize unnecessary warehousing costs of parts to have on hand and finished products
When it comes to making processes more efficient, there is no rule of thumb. For example, while automation has become a manufacturing game-changer, it is possible to over-automate, investing in expensive robots or software for tasks that can easily be performed manually. An experienced CM understands where the tipping point lies – when a trusted approach stops improving and starts hindering productivity – and advise you on the perfect balance.
Mistakes cost money. A CM partner committed to getting your product to market without delays will ensure that passes tests of the most rigorous standards. They will also demonstrate how choosing to test quickly and on a small scale will help you minimize delays.
As a true partner, a great CM’s leverages their wealth of knowledge, years-in-the-trenches experience and long-cultivated network of suppliers to ensure your success. Not only of individual projects but of your brand, reputation and business.
Long-term relationships are built on trust. At Providence, going that extra mile for our customers is how we invest in the future. Learn more about how we do things differently:
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