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Let’s think about that the following telephone name you obtain is from a buyer that desires to order 10x the variety of robots you could have in your present manufacturing capability, and desires them ASAP.
Is that good or dangerous information?
A brand new income stream is a win, however in case you’re not ready, the result’s rushed manufacturing, elevated threat of expensive high quality points, product failure within the area, and dropping your buyer’s confidence in your capability to ship future orders.
Mitigating these dangers requires robotics OEMs, significantly these within the early phases of their development, to handle 5 key areas of the product improvement lifecycle.
Precedence #1: Engineering Design
Bridging the hole between producing a working prototype and mass manufacturing begins in the beginning, even earlier than constructing a prototype to point out to potential traders and clients.
The engineering design course of shouldn’t solely account for guaranteeing the prototype works. It also needs to adhere to “Design for Manufacturability” and “Design for Price – Worth Engineering” approaches that can establish any potential roadblocks throughout the transition of the design into manufacturing.
First, decide your house on the Expertise Readiness Degree (TRL) timeline, a technique NASA devised, to estimate the maturity of applied sciences throughout the acquisition section of a program. Using TRLs permits constant, uniform discussions of technical maturity throughout several types of know-how to trace the place a brand new product sits on the spectrum between concepts, and mass manufacturing, and delivery.
Whereas a brand new product strikes from the early analysis and demonstration TRL phases to constructing prototypes, you could flip to native assets for sub-assemblies, prototypes, and customized construct merchandise. However as you progress nearer to mass manufacturing, round TRL 5 or 6, partnering with a producing firm with the experience and international footprint to assist bigger scale manufacturing is a bonus.
Precedence #2: Element Sourcing
Provide chain constraints and materials shortages can severely delay supply of merchandise to clients by a number of months. Robotics techniques are made up of all kinds of very advanced elements corresponding to battery administration techniques, precision mechanisms, optical techniques, energy administration techniques, custom-made energy and compute {hardware}. Securing the appropriate elements on the proper time has by no means been harder or costly, significantly when making an attempt to scale manufacturing.
That’s why robotics OEMs and their manufacturing and provide chain companions should assess provide chain dangers and take steps to mitigate future delivery delays and elements shortages. Don’t wait till after a buyer locations a brand new order.
Precedence #3: Regionalization
Whilst you’re contemplating value, high quality, compliance, obsolescence, and mass manufacturing when deciding on elements, figuring out in-region sources to scale back the probability of delivery delays that drag on for weeks or months is vital. It’s not possible to overstate how crucial an element regionalization has grow to be to create a balanced and resilient provide chain and manufacturing community.
Securing the elements you’ll have to make the transition from constructing prototypes to full commercialization is only the start. Managing staffing gear, high quality processes, testing, and validations, in addition to regulatory documentation necessities can grow to be overwhelming and result in expensive delays and high quality management points. As a result of change is inevitable, so too are the duties of updating invoice of supplies (BOMs), dealing with revision controls, sourcing alternate suppliers, and offering suggestions on the fee/schedule impression. Partnering with a professional manufacturing companions expert in these areas removes these burdens off the OEM’s shoulders.
Precedence #4: Testing and Validation Processes
Conducting intensive element and system lifecycle testing companies will instill the boldness and reliability you have to green-light full-scale manufacturing. Automated testing processes built-in into manufacturing drive effectivity and high-quality output. This can be a crucial a part of the product improvement lifecycle that can’t be marginalized to hurry up the manufacturing course of.
Precedence #5: Aftermarket Service and Assist
Lastly, sustaining a buyer’s confidence (and securing future orders) requires OEMs to additionally present full product lifecycle assist companies, which incorporates making on-site installations, configurations, and repairs, in addition to conducting superior testing and delivering spare elements. Partaking an skilled accomplice that already understands the product to supply these companies helps the OEM cut back the burden on their assets whereas sustaining their model worth.
When a robotics OEM is able to enhance manufacturing volumes, embracing a “Design for Manufacturability” mindset that addresses engineering design, element sourcing, manufacturing processes, testing and validation processes, and after-market service and assist will cut back threat, decrease prices, and guarantee a brand new product’s long-term manufacturability and sustainability. Partaking early with an skilled international manufacturing companies supplier will convey added worth throughout the product improvement lifecycle to assist optimize the design course of and ease the transition into manufacturing and full commercialization.
In regards to the Writer
Matthew Wicks is the Director of Robotics at Celestica, the place he’s answerable for the corporate’s robotics portfolio spanning throughout a number of segments together with semiconductor, warehousing, medical and industrial.
Wicks was beforehand the Chair of the Board of Administrators for the Affiliation for Advancing Automation (A3), the place he supplied trade perception as steerage to A3.
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