Taking Charge of Change

Lean times are here, and it’s reasonable for businesses to want to tighten their belts and find ways to save. But what if you chose to invest instead?

Now is the time to ask, “What can I invest in today that will result in improved efficiency, quality, and value for my business in the future?”

Lesson #1: Don’t get forced into a situation, plan for the situation. 

You can’t predict when a dramatic and sudden change will occur. But there are actions you can take to plan for downtimes. 

For ControlTek, planning means investing for our customers, even during times of uncertainty. That doesn’t mean we’re going to rush into large capital expenditures right now. But it does mean we’ll continue to invest to maintain our ability to manufacture the products that make our customers successful. 

To do that, we constantly evaluate our processes, equipment, and staff. 

Supply chain efficiency is our best weapon to fight market volatility. This is why we invest in continuous supply chain analysis. This empowers us to make strategic purchasing decisions that ensure our customers receive the best components at the best price. Open communication with our customers allows us to move quickly to identify and source component alternatives when it’s advantageous to do so.  

We make ongoing investments in lean initiatives and a robust quality system to ensure every element of our manufacturing is efficient while maintaining the highest level of quality.

Lesson #2: Understand the value of a true EMS partner in challenging times. 

When it comes to your design, manufacturing, or testing, a true EMS partner can support your business in unexpected ways. For ControlTek, working capital and reinvestment into the business means we provide value-added services that customers may not have access to due to their own financial constraints.

Questions you can ask to get to the bottom of what value means to you: 

• Does your manufacturer have a quality system in place to help ensure the quality of your finished product? 
• Does your contract manufacturer have stable relationships with their suppliers?
• Do they have other systems or services in place that can help you save, like on-site testing or engineering services? 
• How well do their processes integrate with your own? 
• What is it worth to you to find a partner who truly understands your needs and is dedicated to helping you meet them?

We cannot overstate the cost of poor quality product, warranty returns, and reputation damage that can take place if your product fails in the field. This is why we encourage you to take quality and value into consideration, especially during downtimes.

Lesson #3: Act now and get ahead of your competition.

Still not sure what steps you can take today? Here are a few suggestions from ControlTek’s team of experts.

Manufacturability Review / Test Coverage Review

We invite you to give us your top two products to see if we can help you save on the cost of production. We’ll conduct a BOM review to discover efficiencies that can reduce the cost of production without sacrificing the quality of your product. Our supply chain experts can assist with inventory management and a lifecycle review to see if we can source components elsewhere at a better price. Just because you’ve worked with a particular supplier in the past doesn’t mean you’re still getting the best price.

Test Coverage Review

A reliable way to save money is to review your product failure rate data. Select the products with high failure rates and let our test engineers review the test coverage strategy. This complimentary test coverage review can identify weaknesses in the testing and manufacturing process. We'll then design a test that eliminates weaknesses and reduces production disruptions, warranty repairs, field failures, and end-user dissatisfaction.

The Design Review

Another tool that many of our customers take advantage of is the complimentary design review. During the design review, our expert engineers perform a technical analysis of your product’s design. They then provide suggestions for manufacturing improvements or revisions to the design. This includes alternative components for further cost savings or quality performance. They can also provide suggestions on feature improvements that allow you to take advantage of new technologies..

Today’s reality is constantly changing. Taking charge of change is in your hands. 

We’ve given you these lessons and strategies to turn change into an opportunity for your business. The actions you take during downtimes will impact your company’s ability to remain stable or even grow as we emerge into a brighter tomorrow. 

Give us a call to discuss further strategies on investing now to save later.