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Outsourcing is great for Design Engineers too:
Previously, I wrote an article about how Purchasing Managers love outsourcing to Contract Manufacturers. I outlined the benefits of outsourcing to a good CM that can be realized by the Purchasing group.  Similarly, by correctly identifying a good CM for Assembly and Integration, the OEM design engineers also benefit in new ways that not only make their job easier, but the product can be rolled out more smoothly with less intervention.  PEKO has had the pleasure of working directly with our OEM customers’ design engineers for decades and have found that being a good supplier means finding ways to make these individuals’ lives easier.  There’s a certain sense of satisfaction when you can help a mechanical design engineer take his work off of the paper and make it into a real product. I’ve compiled a few reasons why our customers’ Engineers have loved outsourcing to a Contract Manufacturer

1. Great feedback for Manufacturability and Cost Down

When the CM is given the engineers’ prints for an RFQ, the prints are analyzed for the customer and an estimation is generated based on all the available information.  However, the original design engineer is not always familiar with the equipment and capabilities of the CM.  So when the CM gets a print, they are able to give design suggestions based on available manufacturing techniques that are available.  By coming back with these suggestions, the engineer can decide whether to make the necessary changes.  Typically, these changes lead to an increase in Manufacturability and a decrease in cost.  Designing a lower cost product makes the design engineer look great and increases the CM’s chance of winning the bid.  Everybody comes away with a win.

2. Interpretation and Fact Checking of Drawings and Prints

In most companies, the design engineers are a on tight deadlines to get their designs done.  By the time the prints go out for quote, they can be prone to errors and omissions.  A good CM will notice these during the quoting process.  These kinds of errors can lead to inconsistencies in manufacturing, functionality problems and other Quality problem.  A Contract Manufacturing partner that is paying good attention will be able to point these errors out and give the feedback to the engineer.  This gives the engineer to a chance to correct the mistake before any costly manufacturing takes place.  This type of collaborration  is extremely helpful to the engineer and the OEM customer.

3. A CM keeps the manufacturing tasks away from the Engineer

A common problem engineers have is that as the designer, many manufacturing issues get thrown in his or her lap.  Most design engineers do not have the time, experience or desire to answer manufacturing questions and concerns for every part they have designed.  By having a Contract Manufacturing partner, the manufacturing issues can be contained and the design engineer can focus on designing.  Now the cost, manufacturability and Quality issues have an owner in the CM, not the design engineer.  A design engineer cannot and should not be tasked to know all the intricacies of CNC Machining, Sheet Metal Fab, Welding and Mechanical Assembly.  A simple shift in responsibilities like this can free up bottlenecks and keep the entire team focused on their primary objectives.

To Sum it Up:

Design Engineers can truly enjoy working with a Contract Manufacturing partner.  The CM is the perfect resource for giving feedback on manufacturability and cost down suggestions.  Their ability to be a second set of eyes on a complex print package and help the design engineer to allocate time more effectively is very valuable to the customer OEM.  For more information on how PEKO has helped our customer design engineers save time and create product successfully , contact me at sbaxter@pekoprecision.com or simply click below.

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