Thriving Outsourcing Partnerships

Manufacturers now view outsourcing not just as a supplier relationship, but as a partnership.  Lei Sheng, product manager at Richconn, explains why outsourcing projects with reliable partners make sense.

Many manufacturers face the challenge of capacity to meet production demand, especially with increasing time pressure. When internal resources are stretched, outsourcing can be the solution.

The Outsourcing Scenario

Manufacturers often have multiple obligations. First, they must manage their daily operations, which involves standardized routine processes. These processes usually need to be managed predictably, meaning orders must be completed within the timeframes offered and customer expectations must be met.  In addition, there are short-term challenges.  These arise when routines are interrupted because there is insufficient capacity to handle the increased workload - often caused by an unforeseen surge in demand or a rush or special order.   During these phases, manufacturers need an outsourcing solution to help them deliver their orders on time.

The Advantages in Outsourcing

An outsourced "partner" can be viewed as an extension of the customer's production facilities, with significantly lower costs and minimal risk. Once a product or part design is complete, manufacturers can rely on their outsource partner for repeatability of production. Whether it's a small engineering firm needing ad hoc support or for a larger manufacturer requiring a substantial or preferred supplier relationship, collaborative outsourcing can be the optimal solution.

Outsourcing provides the flexibility to meet unexpected demand for parts or prototypes with 3d printing service, cnc machining services and injection molding. By outsourcing 3D printing to quickly create and compare complex parts, design adjustments can be made easily. With CNC machining or injection molding, quantities are produced in small to medium runs in days. Outsourcing provides on-demand services and rapid delivery capabilities that give manufacturers a competitive edge - backed by design for manufacturability analysis and expert technical advice.

Helping Aach Other Succeed

Outsourcing is most effective when both the customer and the outsourcing partner use integrated online systems. These systems are essential for ensuring bilateral data flow and complete job management from start to finish.

Customer data protection is an important component of a successful outsourcing partnership. Outsourcing to a third party at any stage of the supply chain requires a high level of trust, especially when it comes to breakthrough technologies. Industries such as aerospace or automotive and medical require absolute secrecy. A close, trusting working relationship with the outsourcing partner is necessary when rapid prototyping is required to commercialize a new product. After all, the manufacturer and the outsourcing partner share the same goal: achieving business benchmarks within the set timeframe without compromising quality and confidentiality.

Richconn recognizes that flexibility and adaptability are increasingly important in providing services to manufacturers, particularly in engineering and technology-related industries. As a result, prototyping and demand-driven manufacturing tasks are outsourced to partners that offer an effective combination of technology, process management and expertise.  Along with these come other key benefits, such as consistent quality, reliability and fast delivery times.  Companies outsourcing work to Richconn are supported by 24*7 hours service capabilities, which offer real-time feasibility analysis in parallel - including material specifications and quantities.  Because the design and production phases are seamlessly linked via our proprietary software, orders can be completed in a matter of days.

The Benefits of Outsourcing are Clear

Using on-demand production capabilities, Richconn produces prototypes and parts for final use. In terms of speed and scale of production, we can keep pace with changing manufacturer requirements. We believe that successful outsourcing is based on a simple formula: The partnership must be optimal and precise to the customer's needs for each order.