Case Study - Resolving a Customers' Design Issue

The Challenge

A customer identified a latent quality problem where 1 out of every 5 of their complex harness assemblies were failing during installation.

The Opportunity

CPS knew the customer needed immediate help and despite it not being a workmanship issue, recognized we were best positioned to help them.

To have a full picture of how the product was used and could be affected, CPS reviewed: one of the failed units, the build process, the design of the harness, and how it was installed.

Within one day the team had identified the root cause of the issue as being how the harness was attached to the housing frame.

The Results

Within 2 days, a robust solution was identified, applied to the failed unit, tested, and approved by the customer. The initial units were hand delivered back to the customer to get them back up and running.

Within 3 weeks all impacted products were repaired, at no cost to the customer, and with no further impact on the customers’ delivery schedule.

Case Study - Getting Back on Track

The Challenge

A new customer was 2 months behind on deliveries. Their current supplier’s delivery and quality performance was causing them a lot of AGC. They reached out to us and asked if we could help.

The Opportunity

We reviewed the sample product they happened to have had with them and within that same visit agreed to build the product for the same price as their current supplier.

The very next day they sent us key components to do a qualification build. We listened to them as they described the different quality issues they were experiencing and understood how important it was going to be for us to find a way to address each one.

We set off creating a production process that would be robust enough to address all the issues. By the end of the week, the qualification unit was complete and driven to the customer’s site for approval.

The Results

After giving their approval the customer wanted to know how quickly we could begin producing product. To deliver products as quickly as possible, CPS worked with the customer on a plan to acquire the necessary raw materials during the ramp up phase. Some components had long lead times so the customer supplied those items until we had secured our own supply.

Initial shipments were made daily to help alleviate the customer’s backlog. Within 6 weeks shipments were leaving our facility on a weekly basis (as requested) and the customer’s backlog was eliminated.

Case Study - Production Line Down?... Not Anymore!

The Challenge

A customer was using a complex harness to final test their products. The harness was built by a previous supplier and was now exhibiting intermittent electrical issues. Without the cable for testing, the production had to stop.

The Opportunity

No manufacturer wants to experience a line down situation. We’ve been there and know the angst that comes with being in that position. We asked ourselves two questions – How quickly can we fix this for them? How can we prevent any other issues from happening with this cable?

As soon as it arrived one of our technicians immediately went to work on diagnosing the issues. He identified 2 electrical opens and 4 other potential issues with the product. The technician fixed the broken connections, addressed the other latent issues but more importantly addressed the underlying cause – an inadequate strain relief used on the main connection interface.

The Results

The repaired cable was shipped back to the customer the following day.

Case Study - Building a Production System Designed for Success

The Challenge

A new customer came to us with a potential opportunity. They had a line of products that were relatively simple that they sold direct to businesses. The challenge lay in the fact that there were thousands of possible variations that could be ordered at any time. The customer was struggling to meet customer demand resulting in excess inventory, long lead times, and unhappy customers.

The Opportunity

Could we create a production model that would reduce inventory, cut the fulfillment time, and meet the customers’ market needs?

Leaning on our Lean Manufacturing background we analyzed their requirements and identified the areas of opportunity. We felt we could meet their needs if we implemented strategic raw material kanban’s, brokered supplier lead time agreements, and created a dedicated production cell for the product.

The Results

By implementing our initiatives, we were able to satisfy the customers’ market need by cutting the order fulfillment time to under 10 minutes.

Case Study - Supporting Legacy Products

The Challenge

A customer approached us with a legacy product that hadn’t been built in several years. They are committed to continued support of these products, but no longer have the capacity or desire to build them internally.

They were upfront with us and let us know that when they were reviewing their internal documentation, it was incomplete and less than accurate. However, they did have some samples of the finished product. Could we look at what they had and provide them with a quote for CPS to make the product?

The Opportunity

We know that legacy products won’t always have all the documentation you may like to have. However, we were more than willing to work with them by reviewing the information they had and looking at the samples. We made multiple visits to their facility to meet with their team and review the product.

The Results

We worked together with the customer, developing updated prints and bills of materials (BOM). We provided a competitive quote based on the new information. This allowed the customer to focus their energies on current and future business and leave the legacy product up to us.