NPI Phase 5
Production Process and Supply Chain Optimization
As we enter Phase 5, the design of your product is locked in and mass production is fully underway. With the most time-sensitive aspects of the NPI process complete, we can now shift our focus to optimization.
Phase 5 allows us to integrate cost management, production efficiency, and assembly processes that lead to savings and quality improvements over time. We’re also able to work with you to assess your annual unit production goals and see how we can help you scale your operations in the future.
Efficiencies at a Glance
-
Phase 5 is all about finding efficiencies in your mass production operations. Our goal is to make small adjustments that lead to meaningful savings and quality improvements.
-
Having in-house access to the same engineers who designed your product ensures that changes to assembly, testing, or other processes can be implemented smoothly and quickly.
Continuous Improvements for Cumulative Cost Savings
SEACOMP’s continuous improvements aim to find savings that add up for our customers over time. During Phase 5, we’ll leverage the accumulated learnings and experience from bringing your product to full-scale production to identify further efficiencies, optimize processes, and reduce costs.
For example, one way that we have helped some of our customers in Phase 5 is by negotiating better per-unit prices with our suppliers thanks to the increased negotiation power that comes with being in full production.
SAVINGS
As production volumes increase, our customers see a reduction in total costs in two key areas: lower material and component prices, and higher volume efficiencies with a consistently running production line. These areas can lead to significant savings.
Making Refinements to Optimize Your Output
In Phase 5 of our NPI journey, we can test different methods for improving product output, ultimately leading to more units you can sell.
This might involve adding equipment or refining a process on your assembly line that doubles your throughput. Or perhaps we can develop a tool that produces four times as many pieces at once compared to the previous tool. We’ll explore and implement whatever refinements best optimize your output and enhance your production efficiency.
Process improvements
SEACOMP’s factory team is trained to find and eliminate bottlenecks in the production process. Sometimes this means adding another tool for injection molding or increasing the number of test fixtures that are used for programming and quality control of the electronics. Other times, adding a second or third production shift might be the answer to increasing demand.
Setting You Up to Scale
If you’d like to increase your annual unit production, we’ll work with you to determine what targets we can reach together. SEACOMP can help you optimize all aspects of your supply chain by working with you in either Mexico or China, depending on your needs:
-
-
-
Set up your production at our 60,000 sq. ft. Mexico facility. For North American manufacturers, choosing Mexico for your operations comes with the major benefit of avoiding hefty import tariffs.
-
Increase your production by using both our Mexico and China-based factories. This can be a great option for those selling to both US and non-US markets.
-
-
Customer Support
One of our recent customers needed to build 2,500 units quickly to meet their needs. Once NPI and the initial build was completed by our team in China, production was transferred to our new manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico. This transfer allowed the customer to reduce their total landed cost of the product and shorten the time from production to delivery at their distribution center in the US.
What's Next
Throughout Phase 5 we’ve optimized your production processes and collaborated closely with you to set up your scaled operations goals for success. With these critical improvements in place, we’re ready to move to the final stage of our journey.
In Phase 6, Logistics and Distribution Support, we’ll ensure your product is shipped to wherever it needs to go, anywhere in the world. We support our customers in making sure that their products are packaged and labeled correctly for air, land, and ocean regulations.
Start the discovery process
Continue Along the Journey
We've almost reached the end of our journey! Last in our NPI process is Phase 6: Logistics and Distribution Support.