The diversity and customization of CNC components enables more possibility and expectations for customers. Shorten the development and production time can take your product launch faster and take more advantages than your competitors, which is the one of the benefits of low volume manufacturing. What is low volume manufacturing and what to consider for it? Check out the following content.
Today the manufacturing process is far from what we know of them. The advancement of technologies like 3D printing and CNC machining change the way products produced and customer’s expectations for production lead times have become shorter than ever. The complexity of the designs and the demand for customization are also changing the face of manufacturing. These changes have resulted in a gradual shift from mass production to low volume manufacturing.
What is Low Volume Manufacturing?
There is no definite standard on the quantity to define the volume of production. What can be a low-volume for some is already on the mass production level for others.
Compared with the many risks and costs associated with excessive expansion to “large-scale commercialization,” low volume manufacturing does reduce risks, make designs more flexible, shorten product launch times and create opportunities to save production costs. Low volume manufacturing solutions benefit all stakeholders in the entire product life cycle from design to manufacturing to the supply chain and consumers.
Here are the benefits that we can get from low volume production:
Saves A Significant Amount of Money
Do you want to produce top-quality parts while still being able to limit your investment exposure? Low-volume manufacturing is the perfect option by producing up to 10K high-quality pcs. If durability isn’t a priority, you can save more money by leveraging soft tooling to make a lower-fidelity test run.
Conversely, factories established for large-scale production have huge inventories of equipment and raw materials. Thus, to cover the big investment needed, they require you to place a large amount for an order, and there is usually a set minimum. But low volume-manufacturing specialists aren’t burdened with the same amount of overhead, so we can process orders quickly yet more economically, without the need for a minimum order.
Unlike full-scale production, low-volume manufacturing reduces tooling costs without a need for minimum orders. Low-volume manufacturing allows you to reduce the total production lead times, which in turn saves you time and energy in your product development stages.
If there’s a need for shorter product lifecycles, with low volume manufacturing you can iterate designs and parts much more quickly. Better still, you won’t have to make the often unnecessary financial expenditure of a full production run, therefore keeping your business financially stable. Also, low manufacturing comes with very quick turnaround that hastens design changes, decreasing costs & the total time it takes to produce the manufacturing run.
Low Volume Manufacturing Can Increase Revenue
Low-volume manufacturing can bring better products and shorten the time to market, because the trial run will bridge the gap between prototype and production, allowing your functional and engineering design verification to be completed faster. If your products meet the requirements of target customers, you can obtain stable orders and establish long-term partnerships with customers, and then increase revenue. Small volume production can also be switched to mass production.
Low Volume Manufacturing Provide Pptions For Bridge Production
Another benefit of low-volume manufacturing is that it is better to find out the overall results before mass production. This will enable them to have a complete production record to optimize the production process and cost budget. This is why it is sometimes referred to as bridge production or bridge tools. As the number gradually increases, you will have the opportunity to simplify best practices to further save costs while improving product quality.
Faster Time to Reach the Market
It is a very competitive market out there, and companies should be able to be always the first to come up with a new product. The fickle minded consumers have put pressure on product developers and designers to create unique and high quality products in the shortest time possible. A company that can optimize a low-volume manufacturing supply chain will allow products to hit the shelves faster as compared to using the traditional manufacturing model.
Get Ready for Your Next Low Volume Production Project?
CNC Prototyping Shop is a company who offers Low Volume Manufacturing Services, we aim to help you reduce the risks involved in production and improve efficiency to meet your needs from the early prototype R & D to late mass production. We have a dedicated team ready to handle any inquiry or question you may have, please contact us today for a quote.