Three Keys to Successful Mass-Production (or “How to Avoid a Shit Show”)

Quick blog post today. Over the course of my career, there have been jobs that have gone like clockwork, and jobs that have become a total pain for both the vendor and the customer. I’ve seen this from both sides of the table, and gained some simple insights that drastically improve project outcome as long as they’re adhered to.

1. Formalize Prints & Tolerances
   It’s really important that the engineering team, management, and the crew making the parts are all on the same page. Make sure there is a formalized print for all design revisions, and that it has been read, understood, and approved by all parties. There’s a section to sign off on prints in the title block for a reason.
   Don’t leave anything up to “verbal communication”, or “it’s fine it if it’s a little out of spec”. If there’s a change to dimensions or tolerances, issue a formal design revision.
   Bonus note about tolerances — There’s no such thing as a “soft tolerance”. Either parts are acceptable or they’re not. If a dimension is ±0.01, then assume that the entire production run can be +.01, and -.01, that the parts will work perfectly.
2. Define a Timeline, Stick to It
   A smooth supply chain requires that everyone knows when parts are expected to arrive, and that those expectations are met. As soon as the timeline starts to fall apart or become unclear, it’s a snowball effect.
   Define the timeline before the project starts, and if there are parts of the timeline that cannot be defined until the project has reached a certain phase, make this clear (rolling wave planning).
3. Make Sure the Price isn’t too Low
   Every once and a while, we get underbid by other shops on jobs that are clearly not worth that price. The job usually ends up getting entirely screwed up by the new vendor.
   The low bids come about from the new vendor missing something on the print, or completely misjudging the difficulty of properly making the parts. The job ends up being more challenging / time consuming than the new vendor originally estimated, and parts end up being delivered out of spec or late.
   On top of all that, when the customer reorders in the future, the vendor who accidentally underbid the first time is less likely to put their best foot forward because the money they’re charging is not worth the effort.

Thanks for reading, and good luck. If you want to connect or check out our machining work, please go to www.ftrcnc.com