US Manufacturers Need to Quickly Add Product Features and Functionality
“As the pace of innovation accelerates across industries, having the flexibility to add product features and functionality becomes paramount. High mix and high configurability are increasingly replacing the “a few options fit most” approach.” *
Fletcher Ryan, Jaju Mohit, Mahindroo Abhijit, Mongrin Daniel, Benjamin Plum and Sawaya Mark (2021, Sept 16). Manufacturing Process Innovation for Industrials. Mckinsey & Company. Retrieved from (https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/advanced-electronics/our-insights/manufacturing-process-innovation-for-industrials)
Working in the lighting industry, we would periodically receive requests for special orders, which – if we could deliver – were our highest margin business. The first time we were asked to provide custom paint color, we had no idea how to do that. But once we were able to find a good supplier, custom colors became one of our biggest margin-boosters, and an easy differentiator.
The McKinsey report goes on to say:
“To fully enable these shifts … industrial manufacturing processes must become more flexible, efficient, and precise.”
HeyScottie is developing a vocabulary of RFQs to fully spec outsourced processes, making them more precise. Instead of saying, “please paint this blue”, the request is as proscriptive as a gerber file. See our Powder Coating RFQ (link).
And finally, the report notes:
“Industrial manufacturing processes….. will increase the need for small, highly skilled workforces and integrated networks of smaller, specialized, and flexible plants.”
HeyScottie has gathered a group of smaller, specialized and flexible plants and operate as an integrated network to give you the flexibility to add product features and functionality easily.