The entire manufacturing ecosystem is going through a metamorphosis, due to customers making tailor-made demands. There is a host of new activities which needs to be incorporated into the manufacturing environment, to cater to the sophistication of demands from each and every buyer. To stay ahead in the competition, manufacturers need to incorporate new technologies, which would, in turn, reduce the process waste. This leaner system of manufacturing gives way to superior quality product and boosts the end user experience. In today’s environment-friendly world it is evident, that the statutory compliances are becoming more stringent. This calls for improved choice of input material usage, which is in line with the latest international standards like RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances), directives.
Around the world, business is becoming extremely competitive, with companies having to work with cutthroat margins. To survive and excel in a challenging environment like this, calls for cost minimization and sales maximization. Organizations are in relentless pursuit of optimizing the supply chain cost by sourcing material from the geographically closer vendor and improving on the logistic networking. These steps ensure time to market reduction while maintaining the quality of the product. Previously, it was a notion that better quality delivered to customer needed an increased product cost. However, the same is a myth now, as it is proved just the reverse. If quality increases, the making cost of the product goes down with time.
To increase product quality, it is essential to upgrade product’s intrinsic characteristics, which are best achieved by robust product engineering program. There are organizations who are dedicated to digital transformation across various sectors, like automobile, semiconductors, and complex retail business structures. The need of the hour is process oriented innovative solutions, which can increase output and quality coherently. This would create a bigger brand value for the organization and help achieve market dominance. It is imperative for the technology partner to work closely with the organization team, right from the system requirement study sessions. This way, every small nitty gritty would be addressed. This would create air tight, tailor-made system, which would evolve into a high end engineered product.
It is important for the product engineers to strike a balance between product testing cost and impact of the same on final product cost. It will not be fruitful, if the testing cost is so much higher, that it pushes the final product cost. However, in the first place organizations should consider product testing phase to be an investment for better future market return. A good technology partner should provide a host of technical services including automation, designing test specification, product testing based specification, and last but not the least application testing, keeping cost overruns at bay. Organizations must demand full maintenance support after system delivery and a re-engineering contract after product end life cycle, from their technology partner.
It is essential for the technology partner to have skill sets on statistical techniques, the manufacturing process for the said industry vertical, sound product information, product testing, and simulation methods. Business houses must have a clear engineering road map for the product, which incorporates a detailed feasibility analysis. It is essential for organizations to define clear skill matrix of the design and implementation team for the product engineering product. A delegation of task and monitoring as per road map timelines are utmost important to avoid cost spillover. Successfully implemented the engineered product, guarantees large-scale productivity gains along with better market mobilization. It is essential for the businesses to make the customer feel their market presence by their ability to sustain their growth rate.
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