Optimization of materials is one way to keep costs low. If a material is harder to locate or its availability is rarer, this will make it more expensive. If a lower cost alternative can be employed, this needs to be looked into to keep costs of manufacturing at a minimum. Looking at the process of manufacturing could yield improvements and savings. If the manufacturing procedures are manual, savings could be gained if more automation were adopted. It may also be discovered that the system of manufacturing was not accurately tested and too much waste is cultivated, resulting in much scrap, for example. Having excess scrap is a loss of revenue where the metal or material could have been used to manufacture a product if testing were more precise as was the manufacturing process. If a business opts to outsource some of its manufacturing to cut costs, one important contemplation is in the quality of the product. If the products quality is lost because of the cost reduction, this may not be as productive in cost savings as hoped.
Concurrent Engineering and Design for Manufacturability
Another way of saving on costs is through concurrent engineering. This is when a product is designed simultaneously as the manufacturing process for the production of the product. Another way is design for manufacturability (DFM) where products are designed in a way to optimize all of the features of the manufacturing process including fabrication, shipping, testing, ensuring the best costs and customer satisfaction. DFM advocates products to be manufactured with the fewest number of parts and therefore cost reduction and less waste. Design of a product is done so that the product can work with other parts and standardization is promoted.
Other Cost Saving Methods
Working alongside a vendor to help in the design of a product can help in keeping costs low. They can assist in preventing making decisions such as making a product excessively fancier for aesthetic purposes. Vendors will comprehend the problems that the manufacturers face and can assist in offering solutions. This also imparts a learning situation so that the vendor and manufacturer learn how to produce the jobs faster and better each time.
Input has to be garnered from staff in every department of the company in order to cut costs. Talking to employees who actually do the work on the floor can yield ideas on how to make improvements to save money.
Understanding all issues that have occurred in the past and learning from them so that they will not be repeated in the future is imperative. Ensure designs are as simple as they can be so the assembly, fabrication and processing are easy. Any problems in fabrication, processing and assembly can result in huge costs to repair. Follow guidelines for design processes. For example, there are certain guidelines for operation of a laser cutter so follow them to the letter each time the laser cutter is operated. Do not design for right- and left-hand parts but make a product that can be used either way so as not to result in a large amount of stock. Have a symmetrical product so it is easy to put together and avoids unneeded complexity. Always produce a quality product. It is less costly to do it correctly the first time than to repair it later on.
Marc Anderes is a co-founder of Maloya Laser which specializes in Laser Cutting and Metal Manufacturing with advanced laser technologies, targeting medical, aerospace, scientific and transportation needs.
Does this article infringe on a copyright?
If you believe this article has been plagiarized or infringes on a copyright, please contact us immediately via our support desk and provide us with the Title, URL and proof of infringement. Any member found to be in violation of our terms of service will be terminated.
Articles are provided for informational or entertainment purposes only. We do not endorse any of the views or products mentioned within an article, nor is there any financial compensation for said articles. We may, however, be financially compensated by other means. Please read our fullEarnings Disclaimer for details.
Watch a Related Video![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlegallery.net/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add to Favorites
Publish via HTML
Related Video
