What to Consider Before Outsourcing Manufacturing Activities
Companies typically consider outsourcing to face an immediate challenge. For example, with reliable outsourcing services, employees of the manufacturing industry can focus more on their core areas of strength, maximize customer satisfaction and also stand ahead of competitors in the manufacturing sector. As manufacturers struggle to keep up with diminishing customer attention, global customer bases and shorter product cycles, some are relying on outside vendors for engineering services or to produce a component of a product.
According to studies in the field, around 84 percent of companies outsource some activities to professional vendors. From a chip used in iPhone to Levis jeans, many tasks are outsourced. When a task is outsourced, the company’s control over those activities is reduced, which makes it very important to make sure that the service provider meets the required quality standards. Do not compromise on the quality of the end product. mytotalretail.com carried an article by Tim Nybo, the co-founder of Vincero Watches, which highlighted some the factors one should consider when outsourcing to ensure good quality output:
- Know the production process: Understand how the manufacturers assemble the products, the steps involved in it, how the assembly line will look like, and which materials the workers would use. Different manufacturers follow different processes and no matter what instructions you give them, knowing the intricacies of your partner’s production standards is essential so that you can hope to establish quality standards.
- Meet the quality standards: Customers may vary in their quality standards. A person who buys an expensive product may have a higher quality standard compared to a person who settles for a more affordable product. Knowing the standards that are acceptable to your customer is essential so that you can build your product around it. You need to keep a close eye on the materials used in the manufacturing process. A minor defective material can fail to meet the quality standards. So careful monitoring of material quality and the production process is essential to avoid compromised quality.
- Protect your standards: Once you have understood the manufacturing process, the quality standards expected, you must put in place an internal process to ensure the product maintains the expected quality standards. At Vincero Watches, each and every piece is inspected before it leaves the factory and after it arrives at the warehouse. They adopt a relationship oriented approach both in working with their factories and delivering quality products to their customers. Practice strict quality control on both materials used as well as the manufacturing process so that you can deliver quality products that customers expect.
- Communication and collaboration are necessary: Proper communication between the manufacturers and your company is very important to work in tandem and solve problems before they become liabilities. It helps to build a good rapport between the two as well as to work as a single unit. Improper communication can have a negative impact on product quality and or result in long lead times.
- Calculate risk: Although business process outsourcing has many advantages, it also comes with risks if improperly managed. Outsourcing a task to some service provider means less control over the end result, which can result in subpar work. So, make sure you hire a professional whose standards match your own. If you are outsourcing to an offshore company then make sure that you have a contingency plan in case they are unable to complete the work due to any unexpected events.
Providers of professional outsourcing services have a team of highly skilled professionals to deliver high quality service. They use both skilled workers and the latest technology to bring quality output that helps to improve their efficiency and workflow. It is also important to ensure that you build a rapport with your vendor that will encourage them to provide superior quality products.
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