In the context of a product engineering process (PEP), "industrialization" refers to the phase of transferring a product from development to series production. In this phase, companies integrate a product or a product idea into their manufacturing line(s).
This includes different tasks. In addition to optimizing the product design for mass fabrication, suitable machinery and equipment must be selected. Furthermore, manufacturing guidelines and quality standards have to be developed and employees have to be qualified. Reducing production costs, shortening lead times and ensuring consistent product quality are the classic objectives of product industrialization.
However, in PDP practice, this important issue is often not adequately addressed. This is reflected, for example, in poorly designed interfaces between the project and series organization and between plant locations. In the worst-case scenario, this leads to delayed series start-ups, unnecessary scrap and additional costs, e.g. due to unplanned extra efforts (task forces) or special trips. The economic viability of the product can therefore be jeopardized right at the beginning of the product life cycle.
To solve the challenges of product industrialization - including product ramp-up / ramp-down - EFESO combines the following measures in a approach specifically tailored to this topic:
Our approach is based on the experience and results of customer projects, is continuously developed by us and adapted in product industrialization projects according to the company's situation and objectives. Our clients benefit from a structured and efficient approach in the following project phases.
In the project setup, EFESO collects all necessary information and thus creates the basis for all subsequent steps of product industrialization. This includes, in particular, know-how about the existing product development process and about known gaps. Also important is information about the organization, project management and the characteristics of the IT infrastructure.
We use our 250-question questionnaire to identify gaps and weaknesses in the PDP on a cross-functional basis. We take two dimensions into account: the current degree of implementation and the "lived" maturity. After all, the fact that a process has been described and trained does not automatically mean that it is also being applied, communicated and improved.
In the course of a "Change Readiness Assessment", the project team records the organization's readiness for change. In cross-functional workshops, we now close the identified gaps, primarily via these measures:
In the implementation phase, we focus on PDP training and change management. This includes a clear definition of a master plan for the change steps as well as for monitoring results. All activities here take into account the levels of factual change (e.g. defining and anchoring new processes and responsibilities) and mental change (e.g. continuous monitoring and support of the entire change process).
Project: Design and implementation of a robust, efficient and standardized PDP including product industrialization and ramp-up management at a Tier 1 supplier (approx. 10,000 employees worldwide).
Results:
A plant and mechanical engineering company had to ensure its competitiveness. EFESO identified all the adjustment screws for the necessary changes at a production site in Germany and got the turnaround going with a multi-layered restructuring approach.
Champions do not rest contentedly with their success, but always have their sights set on the next milestone. A technology group with around 20,000 employees at over 16 locations worldwide is also orienting itself in the direction of such a “North Star”. His starting points: an operational strategy and the initiatives derived from it, which should be implemented at every location in order to make them even more efficient.
Cost transformation from premium to volume provider. Mass manufacturers who expand their Product portfolio into higher price segments are not uncommon. A premium manufacturer of refrigeration appliances, on the other hand, takes the opposite approach. What seems banal from a technological point of view is an enormous challenge from a cost perspective. EFESO accompanied the company in this demanding transformation project.
With hard targets for the entire operations area, a valve manufacturer is aligning a plant location for the future - and thus securing the site in Germany. Together with EFESO, the company restructures its manufacturing and logistics and achieves, among other things, an OEE of more than 85%.
