A great reputation, fair prices and proven expertise are all indications of a good cable assembly company. But these aren’t the qualities that make a company great. No matter who you choose to work with, the ultimate goal is to see product development teams succeed. In support of this mission, iCONN’s sharing some of the less obvious qualifiers you should look for when choosing a cable assembly company. When the success of your product is on the line, why settle for anything less?
Cellular Manufacturing Process
In traditional manufacturing, products are fed through a build process, one component at a time. It could take weeks for step one to be completed on a large lot, at which point, machines are changed over and the lot is moved through part two of development (and so on). Lead times are long, resources experience more waste, and product quality is difficult to monitor because engineers are working with the entire inventory at once.
Cellular manufacturing is a Lean Six Sigma-inspired manufacturing process that assembles a product from start to finish before moving on to the next product. This creates smaller lot sizes, faster cycle times and less waste. Cellular manufacturing supports a continuous, efficient workflow, and results in smaller batches of finished products that can be better assessed for quality.
Services Designed to Optimize Value
Ideally, you want a cable assembly company you can partner with and depend on long term. A good way to gauge trust is by a company’s ability to save you time, money and resources. Some of the services that point to a great partner include:
- Rapid Prototyping
Rapid prototyping fabricates a scale model of a physical part using 3D printing technology. In some cases, it only takes minutes to print and assess a component design. This technology has a dramatic impact on your time to market because it enables your team to identify flaws early on, make instant design changes and, ultimately, develop a higher quality product faster.
- Verification and Validation Testing
This service confirms that the product meets every single requirement established during the discovery phase of development and that it performs correctly for its intended environment. Depending on the product and industry, this testing may be a requirement. The best cable assembly company offers it as a core part of their custom development process.
- Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)
This is a framework used to develop a product quality plan. Ultimately, this plan will align with the wants and needs of the customer, and result in a higher quality product that will perform well in the market.
Services To Increase Your Reactivity
Demand for a product can be wildly unpredictable. Choose a cable assembly company with manufacturing capabilities and service offerings that will enable you to keep up. One way you can glean this information is by asking about their production process. Inventory holding is also a value-added service that will enable you to have backup stock in case of an unexpected uptick in demand.
Time and resources have a profound impact on your bottom line. Don’t miss all this opportunity to save by shopping online or selecting the first cable assembly company you see. Interview your potential partner and ask the hard-hitting questions that will help you determine just how valuable the relationship will be.
For more information on how to make your product a success, learn how iCONN was able to achieve client success through rapid prototyping.
