Manufacturing Made Simple - RS Components Custom Assembly Service

Simplifying Supply – Exploiting the benefits of off-site product assembly with ebm-papst and RS Components Custom Assembly Service.

When there is uncertainty, flexibility is key to maximising the return on investment. Flexibility can be achieved using lean manufacturing processes, which is where off-site manufacturing delivering higher level assemblies adds value. Simplifying the supply chain removes the fog of component procurement issues allowing manufacturers to concentrate on future success.

There are many reasons why reducing the number of suppliers can provide benefits to a manufacturing business:

Simpler control of cashflow

Having one invoice from one supplier for a product or a sub-assembly instead of many invoices from multiple suppliers; reduces the administration involved in keeping track of purchases, payments and the cost of the goods as they enter the production process.

Improved lead time

Manufacturing a product that uses many parts and sub-assemblies requires resource to manage stock levels and to ensure that the components are all available at the required time. Using a sub-contract manufacturing service removes the need for multiple supplier and multiple stock management saving time and freeing up valuable resource. Procurement of a sub assembly instead of procurement of components provides certainty in product availability, improves the flow of product through assembly reducing the lead-time from customer order to delivery.

Reduced inventory

From stocking many components in many individual stock locations to taking delivery of a finished product or sub-assembly saves on storage space, resource to pick the components for works orders, resource to keep a check on stock levels and resource to assemble the product.

Product Cost Visibility

Knowing the value of the components you hold for production can be difficult to track as component costs may vary depending on availability. Similarly, the cost of the labour to store the product, pick works orders, check quantities in stock, make the product and package it is usually hidden. Some of these hidden costs are gathered together as business overhead which can mean that the true cost of manufacturing a product is not known.

Flexible Workforce

Off-site manufacturing smooths the peaks and troughs of demand. Having a workforce which can be called upon within a short time frame will add flexibility. Day to day, routine and mundane activities that consume time can be outsourced to suppliers who specialise in optimising assembly with increased automation.

Renewed Focus on Sales & Marketing

The people who work for the company are its most valuable asset. The workforce is a resource that have the greatest impact on company productivity which it is why it makes sense that they focus on activities that add the most value. Removing the activities that do not add value in-house can allow your workforce to become more agile, allowing them to match their activities with changing customer requirements.

Free up in-house R&D Resource

Using development and design resource to develop new products whilst supporting existing manufacturing activities can lead to a lack of focus on strategic goals. Taking away the need to maintain existing activities can concentrate R&D teams on developing new products and reducing time to market.

Create Additional production Capacity

Balancing changing demands using off-site sub-contract manufacturing creates an available workforce to be called on when needed. Off-site sub-contract manufacturing can increase production capacity with minimal investment.

Reduced Supplier Base

Having one supplier providing an assembled product instead of lots of suppliers supplying different components that require assembly, streamlines the manufacturing process. Reducing the supplier base eliminates time-consuming supplier and stock management issues from your procurement process

Capabilities available from ebm-papst through RS Components

Simple Higher-Level Assembly

Sub-assemblies produced by ebm-papst can be as simple as extending a fan lead, adding an electrical connector, assembling with guards or adding a threaded inserting onto the fan housing to aid simple assembly into the product. Simple higher-level assemblies (HLA’s) only require a list of components (bill of materials), and a basic description of how the sub-assembly goes together

Examples of connectorised and inserted fans supplied via RS components can be found here…

https://docs-emea.rs-online.com/webdocs/123f/0900766b8123f677.pdf

Build to Print

Where the assembly already exists with a mature bill of materials, component/general arrangement drawings and test specification, ebm-papst can import your production pack into our HLA service. With a wide range of in-house manufacturing capabilities our production team can provide competitive costings for the manufacture, assemble and test of sub-assemblies through to finished products.

Design

If the product is at a concept or prototype stage, our design engineers can bring the product from initial thoughts and sketches to manufacturing maturity. Features specified in safety and operational standards can be researched and incorporated into the product design.

Supported by procurement and production engineering teams Bill of materials, 3D CAD models, assembly and test procedures can be produced and agreed.

Research and Development

When the concept requires some development due to the emergence of an unexpected issue, the research and test facilities at ebm-papst can be brought to bear.

Our Research and Development personnel can be set to work on optimising the fan type, installation and devising a control method to get the best from the product.

Manufacturing Capabilities

Ebm-papst Manufacturing capabilities include:

• Automated Tube and Wire cutting
• Automated crimping
• Wiring Harness Building
• Sheet Metal Fabrication (Folding, Spinning, Pressing)
• Metal Machining
• MIG & TIG Welding
• Painting & Finishing
• Lead Free Soldering
• Plastic Moulding (Injection, Rim, Rotational, Vacuum forming)
• Casting (Investment, Die)

Design & Development Capabilities

• Mechanical Design
• Electrical Design
• Electronic Design (Analogue, Digital, Microprocessor)
• Software Programming (Assembler, C, C#)
• Computerised Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Product optimisation
• Acoustic Engineering
• Environmental Testing
• EMC Testing
• Validation & Verification Testing

Getting ebm-papst and RS Components working for you

If would like to take the opportunity to see how ebm-papst sub-contract manufacturing service can benefit your business, RS Components has created a dedicated page for you.

Please visit:- https://uk.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=ebm-papst

With some basic information you can start the journey to simplifying your supply and exploit the benefits of off-site product assembly with the ebm-papst and RS Components Custom Assembly Service.