Many companies encounter times when either Sales or Engineering lack design capacity to accommodate further work. Management faces the decision of whether to turn down new work or overburden departments with additional work with the intention of managing the impact on staff and other activities. By working differently, companies can improve design capacity to handle more customer enquiries and orders.
Problems:
Bottlenecks in Sales and Engineering can result in the loss of new business and harm existing projects. Bottlenecks occur either due to excessive workload or the cyclic nature of work. Increasing capacity in both sales and engineering teams often requires recruiting more staff. New staff must be trained and it takes time before they are fully proficient. Costs rise proportionately with the number of staff employed. Errors are more likely to occur when staff are under pressure, and there is a lack of time or resources to complete work.
Solution:
Product standardisation reduces work in response to new enquiries in Sales. Time is saved creating customer proposals by the sales team. The Sales team will be more self-sufficient need less support from Engineering. Furthermore, product standardisation moves the product design work forward so that neither Sales or Engineering have to spend time defining products when there is customer demand. Consequently, product design work can be scheduled to take place in a controlled environment. Freeing up design capacity for value-added work.
Reducing time to prepare customer quotations and to provide engineering details to satisfy engineering orders reduces design work. The design capacity problem can be resolved without needing to take on more staff or increase costs.
Advantages from different perspectives
Increased customer satisfaction as customers receives products faster with fewer errors.
Fewer bottlenecks requiring management attention
Increased customer satisfaction by supplying products faster with fewer errors.
Improved productivity as more work is possible
Increased profitability with the reduction of cost and risk, while improving productivity
Fewer bottlenecks requiring management attention
Improved productivity as more work is possible
Increased profitability with the reduction of cost and risk while improving productivity
Increased customer satisfaction by supplying products faster with fewer errors.
Shorter delivery times
Eliminate engineering cost
Lower costs provided an opportunity to be more competitive
Fewer bottlenecks requiring management attention
Increased customer satisfaction by supplying products faster with fewer errors.
Product design can be planned and managed without being driven by production deadlines
Fewer bottlenecks requiring management attention
Further help and assistance
Gatehouse Design are specialists in product standardisation, product configuration and design automation. We can help companies develop highly effective product strategies, maximising profitability, productivity and customer satisfaction. We can help you improve design capacity and improve the efficiency of your business. Please contact us to discuss any product design related issues that you may have.
Peter Slee-Smith founded Gatehouse Design in 2012, a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with more than 30 years experience in industrial design. Peter qualified with a Masters Degree and has held senior positions in many leading engineering and product manufacturing companies. He is passionate about product design efficiency and has written many articles on the subject. Based in Littleport just outside Ely in Cambridgeshire, Gatehouse Design specialises in product standardisation, configuration and design automation.
