Product designers usually have a clear vision of how they want a product to look and function. But if they don’t have a strong engineering background, they can face difficulties navigating the numerous steps that must take place between product concept and finished product.
Partnering with a contract manufacturer early on in the design process is an excellent solution to this problem. However, it’s important to find a partner that specializes in everything from engineering to machining to assembly.
Let’s take a closer look at 5 benefits of choosing a contract manufacturer that offers comprehensive product development services in-house.
5 Benefits of a Contract Manufacturer with In-House Product Engineering Services
1. Consolidate multiple vendors.
Product designers often outsource to separate vendors for product engineering services and contract manufacturing services, but this approach can be cumbersome and inefficient.
The product designer typically gets stuck managing both vendors directly and serving as a middleman, which adds substantial time (and hassle) to projects.
If the outsourced engineer isn’t competent in Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) best practices, the contract manufacturer may receive a design that isn’t optimized for manufacturing and assembly.
The Polyhistor team is a true hybrid of engineering and manufacturing experts. Our in-house product engineering team, combined with our experience in DFM and DFA, make us a true one-stop shop for product design, manufacturing, and assembly needs.
2. Fill process gaps.
Product designers are passionate about transforming ideas into reality—and that’s a great first step! However, they may not be aware of all the information that a manufacturer needs to successfully make their product. A contract manufacturer that specializes in product engineering services like DFA and DFM can easily collaborate to fill those gaps.
When one of our recent customers lacked a complete documentation package for their product, Polyhistor generated a bill of materials, a full set of drawings, and assembly instructions to ensure manufacturing success.
3. Negotiate material purchasing.
Materials are very difficult to source right now due to disruptions in the global supply chain. The good news is that Polyhistor has built a trusted network of materials suppliers that we can coordinate with to fulfill customer needs.
When we handle material purchasing, we save customers the time of having to coordinate separately with a materials supplier. We also take full responsibility for ensuring that all materials arrive on time and according to spec.
We even anticipate normal material losses due to set-up, tail stock drops, and other natural losses due that result from the machining processes selected. We adjust the amount of material purchased to make sure there’s adequate material to complete the project, avoiding unwanted delays.
4. Make real-time adjustments.
On occasion, a product designer identifies a change in design that needs to be made after production has begun.
Since Polyhistor offers both engineering and manufacturing, we use our expertise to make any necessary changes quickly and efficiently, minimizing disruptions to production timelines.
5. Design for more efficient assembly.
With over 20 years of experience in DFA, we’re your trusted experts for efficient assembly. We’re experts at breaking down assemblies into subassemblies for maximum efficiency and error reduction. Our engineering team can help you select the right components to reliably serve their intended function. We can also assess the practicality of the assembly process itself, ensuring there is enough maneuverability for tooling like screwdrivers and assembly fixtures.
One of our mottos is the Japanese term “poka-yoke”, which means mistake-proofing. Poka-yoke inspires us to eradicate mistakes at the source so that we can consistently produce the highest quality parts and products for our customers.
Here at Polyhistor, we take a holistic approach to producing your product. We’re ready to leverage our expertise in product engineering, manufacturing, and assembly to provide you with the highest quality product in the most cost-effective manner possible. Request a quote today to kick off your next project!