By embracing a strategic outsourcing approach with PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), machine builders and OEMs can redirect their focus towards areas such as research and development (R&D) and continuous innovation. These competencies have proven instrumental in creating a competitive edge for many manufacturers.
By shedding tasks that offer minimal value-add in terms of production and engineering processes, companies can concentrate on leveraging their core expertise to drive innovation, enhance returns on investment (ROI), and accelerate time-to-market. This shift lays a solid foundation for the outsourcing argument.
The success of an outsourcing partnership hinges on trust, which can only be achieved when the outsourcing partner consistently upholds high demonstrating the ability to provide sought-after value throughout the design and engineering process is paramount.
Value Add Engineering
In addition to an end-to-end production and engineering capability for module or assembly based, part or full machine build outsourcing, PP C&A supports value engineering, VA/VE activities, and DFMA to drive standardisation, modularity, and total cost.
That all starts with an exemplary engineering department, as Steiner Runarsson, Senior Electrical Engineer at Hedinn can attest to:
"PP C&A's engineering team has offered exceptional assistance during the manufacturing preparation phase, finding routes to eliminate costs out of production, as well as reducing lead times by between 15% to 20%."
The two companies have worked on over 13 projects together, a mixture of land and at sea solutions for using 100% of fish waste and offal to produce high quality protein meal and oil for animal feed.
DFMA is a cornerstone of effective outsourcing, offering avenues to streamline processes, minimise waste, and enhance value without compromising performance or quality.
A B Graphic International Ltd (ABG) is one such machine builder benefiting. The manufacturer of innovative print finishing equipment originally engaged PP C&A to design and manufacture the electrical back plates on its Digicon 3 digital print finishing machine.
However, during the design engineering discussions, it quickly became apparent that a more value-added design could be achieved, allowing for a modular, configurable, and pre-wired (Plug & Play) style solution with significant benefit.
Phil Robson, Operations Manager at ABG sees the partnership as business critical: "Thanks to our commitment to outsourcing, we are now more efficient and have cut production and sales lead times significantly. Importantly, PP C&A has also given us the additional capacity that allows us to go after new business safe in the knowledge we can quickly ramp up production to cope with it.
"We have grown almost 50% over the course of our partnership, and this has been made possible thanks to the engineering, design, and production capability of PP C&A."
During the build of the Digicon 3 machine, several engineering decisions made the difference, from a modular control system design, standardised power distribution, and 60% improvement in electrical fit-out time, to eliminating 700 days of production each year and increasing production capacity by over 50%.
Invitation to Explore
Strategic outsourcing partnerships empower machine builders and OEMs to operate more efficiently and seize growth opportunities with reduced risk. Providers like PP C&A must demonstrate the requisite capabilities and attributes to earn trust and foster successful collaborations. By aligning with trusted outsourcing partners, machine builders and OEMs can optimise their operations, drive innovation, and position themselves for sustained growth in an ever-evolving marketplace.
PP C&A invites stakeholders to explore the potential benefits of outsourcing and evaluate whether it could catalyse similar transformative outcomes for their operations, as evidenced by the success stories highlighted her in and numerous others documented at ppcanda.com.
