by Nigel Hilton
If you make and sell industrial products, your manufacturing capabilities will be scrutinized by your clients. Perhaps unlike any other business, when you’re selling tools and machines to businesses that need them to create their products, you come underneath a professional spotlight. Engineering industries rely on their equipment to fulfill the needs of their client. For example, if a company was contracted to build a bridge, its guarantee of safety is partly connected to how well your tools perform. Therefore you must constantly research and develop newer, better tools so whatever challenges lay ahead, you’re always at the forefront. But just like your designs, newer and better materials come along every few years. It's difficult to know which new materials to use so your industrial products are more heat-resistant, corrosion-resistant and stronger overall. It's not just materials but the manufacturing process that needs to be updated continuously too.
Become part of the conservation
By conducting an industrial analysis, you collate data and opinions from all manner of businesses and industries. Whatever challenges are being faced today, your business can track them and make products that will plug the performance gap for different industries. For example, car manufacturing is replacing the combustion engine with electric power units, so what kind of tools and machines are needed to handle lithium batteries safely? What materials must they be made from to limit wear and tear? By going to industrial product research conferences, you become part of a much wider conversation. Maybe a company in Singapore is using a recently created material that protects and allows industrial machines to work under severe conditions. This knowledge could be transferred to your research and future products.
Utilize manufacturing services
Although you may have the desired materials and designs of your industrial tools and or machines, sometimes their own manufacturing is beyond your capabilities. One would hope that one day you will be able to make your products entirely in-house but in the meantime, you can look toward companies like TJ Aerospace that offer manufacturing services. If you need sheet metal fabrication, assembly, kitting and testing they are more than happy to collaborate with your business. However, they also have in-house fixturing and tooling so you can fit your products together. Essentially they can act as part of your manufacturing line as an outsource for specific needs.
Used but effective
Industrial tools are often put up for auction after just one or two uses. Commercial companies might have taken on a special project which they did not have the right tools for and was just a one-off. You can go to industrial tool auctions to buy equipment your manufacturing facility needs. Check the quality of the tools and see if they have been certified as safe to use in an industrial environment by the auctioneers.
You could get a digger or a conveyor belt at an industrial tool auction, all manner of things are available to fill your manufacturing facility with. However, utilize the services of industry experts where you need precise and knowledgeable work done.