AS 9100 Archives - Means Engineering, Inc.

How Outsourcing Can Give You a Competitive Edge

May 3, 2019 By cscheafer

Working with a contract manufacturer is an excellent way to cut costs on production. However, this shouldn’t be your only focus. The right contract manufacturer can provide your company with the competitive edge you need to excel in your industry. There are numerous benefits to outsourcing if you’re able to properly leverage the value of your manufacturing partner.

Free Up Resources

Companies spend a significant amount of time and money producing new products. Outsourcing part or all of your production helps free up your resources. This allows you to focus on what really matters; growing your business.

Improve Time to Market

Thanks to advances in technology, consumers expect new products at an alarming rate. Many companies find it difficult to meet consumer demand. Outsourcing increases operational efficiency and reduces the time it takes to bring new products to market. This allows you to react faster to consumer demand, putting you ahead of your competition and increasing consumer trust and loyalty in your brand.

Improve Quality

Quality is extremely important to consumers today. Outsourcing helps improve the quality of finished products. During the design process, a contract manufacturer can help locate areas of your design that could benefit from improvement. This further reduces the cost of production and results in a better quality product. Your contract manufacturer will fully test all components throughout production to ensure their proper operation.

Expand Into New Markets

A quality contract manufacturer has years of experience working with several different industries. This provides you with access to the right tools, resources, technology, and knowledge to expand into new markets.

Final Thoughts

Outsourcing can provide your business with numerous benefits. In addition to cutting costs, the right contract manufacturer can help your business improve its chance of success. This is especially important in today’s competitive world.

Means Engineering, Inc. has years of experience working with a wide range of industries to provide a variety of services. From design to production, our team is well prepared to help your business succeed. Please contact us for more information about our contract manufacturing services.

Outsourcing Custom Electronics

February 15, 2019 By cscheafer

Custom electronic projects take a lot of special consideration. When outsourcing these projects, it’s important to have a clear understanding of your needs up front. These needs must be communicated with your contract manufacturer to ensure the project’s proper completion. It’s important to consider the following prior to outsourcing.

Volume Requirements

Storing massive amounts of inventory is expensive. In fact, it’s one of the fastest ways to lose money. Outsourcing allows you to create smaller batches of custom electronics. This costs significantly less than producing small batches in house or producing large quantities to store.

Discuss your volume requirements with your contract manufacturer. This lets them know what to expect now and in the future. An experienced CM can provide you with suggestions on the best way to move forward.

Budget

Producing custom electronics takes a lot of space, people, equipment, and technology. In order to produce high quality custom electronics, you’ll need to consider the skills and expertise of your staff. If you feel that you have what it takes to produce these products on budget in-house, then this is probably the best option. However, outsourcing is the better choice if you think you’ll need to acquire more people or equipment to complete the project.

Time

Partnering with an experienced contract manufacturer can reduce the time it takes to complete your project. However, it might also cause delays moving product from one place to the next. It’s important to speak with your contract manufacturer about expected deadlines. Once you have a better understanding about how long the project will take, you need to compare it with the length of time it will take to produce the same custom electronics in-house.

Quality Control

Many small businesses do not put enough thought into quality control. This can cause a major problem, especially if electronic parts or components will be used in dangerous or demanding situations. Working with an ISO certified contract manufacturer helps ensure that products meet strict requirements for quality and reliability. These contract manufacturers have taken all necessary steps to ensure the quality and consistency of every product produced.

Developing a Mutually Beneficial Relationship With Your Contract Manufacturer

February 8, 2019 By cscheafer

Small businesses and entrepreneurs often seek help when creating electronic products. Many of these companies simply do not have the people, equipment, space, or technology needed to produce new products.

Sometimes, these businesses need assistance creating electronic parts or components. Other times, they are looking to have an entire product produced. Whatever the case, there are a few things that can make the process go more smoothly.

Prepare Your Design Files

If you’ve created design files you’ll need to provide these to your contract manufacturer along with your Bill of Materials (BOM). This helps your contract manufacturer provide an accurate quote. It also ensures that everyone is on the same page right from the start.

If you don’t have design files, that’s alright as well. A contract manufacturer can help turn your ideas into functional products. They often employ teams of experienced individuals, capable of designing a wide range of products for multiple industries. At Means Engineering, we work directly with many of our clients from concept to completion.

Discuss Quantity Expectations

When searching for a contract manufacturer you need to ensure the company you choose is well prepared to handle the quantities you need. Make sure you discuss the number of different assemblies you plan to have produced including how many you’ll need in your first order and future orders.

Plans for Ongoing Production

A quality contract manufacturer acts as your partner. They stay by your side for as long as you need them. Don’t be afraid to talk to your contract manufacturer about your long term plans for production. This sets the foundation for a mutually beneficial relationship. Even if your production needs surpass what your contract manufacturer can handle, they likely have connections with other respectable companies.

At Means Engineering we provide design, production, and testing of a wide range of electronic products and components. We employ a team of experienced professionals and are pleased to pass our knowledge and experience to our valued customers. We strive to provide exceptional customer service, while exceeding customer expectations for quality and reliability.

Quality Matters

November 9, 2018 By cscheafer

Organizations responsible for the creation of products often struggle to maintain quality while keeping costs in check. This is especially true for organizations creating products for industries with strict requirements.

While most organizations focus on cutting costs, it’s crucial that the quality of the end product is taken into consideration. Producing poor quality products not only hurts your organization’s reputation, but it could also pose a safety risk for the user. For example, poor quality medical devices or military products will not perform the way they were intended, possibly putting lives at risk.

Even if you do not produce products for the medical, defense, or aerospace industries, producing poor quality products affects the way that consumers view your brand.

When consumers purchase poor quality products, they typically tell their friends and family. Today, consumer complaints spread faster than ever through social media outlets. Producing poor quality products not only reduces your chance of repeat business and referrals, it also affects the way that potential customers view your business. This negatively impacts on your bottom line.

Improving Product Design

Organizations struggling with the cost of production should attempt to locate ways to improve their product design. Simple changes such as changing materials or measurements can reduce costs without affecting performance. However, it’s important to fully understand what the end result of these changes will be. Using inferior materials or failing to properly balance measurements will not produce the desired results.

A qualified contract manufacturer provides a second set of eyes for design plans. Through careful observation, they locate areas that could benefit from improvement.

Organizations must be extremely careful when selecting a partner to work with. The right contract manufacturer has years of experience working with a variety of industries. This ensures they understand strict industry requirements. This also ensures they know how to reduce costs without affecting the quality of the finished product. In fact, the right contract manufacturer can improve product quality while reducing costs and time to market.

It’s important to choose a contract manufacturer that is ISO certified. Contract manufacturers that have received this prestigious certification have proven their commitment to quality.

Why Means Engineering?

July 13, 2018 By cscheafer

Why Means Engineering?

There are a number of reasons why businesses outsource. Many organizations hire a contract manufacturer to develop new products and expand into new markets. Using a contract manufacturer is an excellent way to increase your reach and grow your business.

The right contract manufacturer provides the design, production, and/or testing of a wide range of products. This can help improve the quality of finished products, while reducing cost and time-to-market.

There are numerous benefits to working with a contract manufacturer. A CM allows companies to produce a large selection of products, without having to acquire the people, space, equipment, and technology needed to produce products in-house.

San Diego County Contract Manufacturer

Means Engineering provides exceptional value to both Government and commercial businesses. Through thorough analysis of design plans, our team is able to locate areas that could benefit from improvement. This might include changing the type of material used, or adjusting the manufacturing process. Our changes help increase the quality of products produced, while reducing the total cost of production.

We use cutting edge technology and techniques and fully test each product and component to ensure the creation of only the highest quality products. This helps increase consumer trust in your brand, improving the likelihood of repeat business and customer referrals.

New Product Design, Manufacture, and Testing

Means Engineering Inc. provides design, production, and testing of a wide range of products. We have experience working with a number of industries including aerospace, medical, and defense. Our team works directly with each of our clients to make sure every product meets their exact specifications and requirements.

Means Engineering employs a full-time staff of experienced engineers and have the tools and technology needed to ensure the consistency and quality of products produced. We are an ISO certified contract manufacturer with headquarters in Carlsbad, California. Our specialties include the design and production of complex electronics.

Contract Manufacturing for Government and Commercial Clients

We understand the unique needs and requirements of our Government and commercial clients. Our team strives to provide exceptional service and individualized care. We work hard to ensure the quality and consistency of every product produced.