1st July 2019
Machine builders and OEMs will likely have considered outsourcing at some point, or have implemented an outsourcing strategy for their manufacturing operation. There’s nothing new in the decision to outsource, but there is a clear distinction between the types of outsourcing undertaken and the business benefits that materialise for each.
Most outsourcing is based on a decision to sub-contract out a particular product at a ‘piece part level’ to a number of different suppliers. This will provide some benefits, but the added value to operations, along with the commercial impact that a strategic outsourcing partnership can identify, will be missing.
PP Control & Automation operate at that higher level, where an outsourcing strategy is all-encompassing and acts as a foundation for a mutual partnership. A more considered and focused approach compared to outsourcing through numerous channels will offer significantly higher benefits to the customer.
Outsourcing to multiple suppliers will create additional complexity where machine builders and OEMs actually require simplicity. An outsourcing partner with a streamlined approach, acting as a single source of communication and operational activity, is hard to come by – there are very few specialists that are capable. PP C&A, however, are one of those capable specialists.
[box]
It isn’t hard to understand why this approach becomes too complex too quickly. It is important to break that proposition down and…
[box]
The answers to those questions will paint a very complex picture. One that could be blocking efficiencies in vital areas, reducing costs in one area but adding to them in another, generating laborious administrative tasks and creating a model that becomes difficult to manage.
Now consider a higher-level outsourcing solution where one partner can manage every activity in the supply chain for you. The benefits would be much healthier, and they would include:
Most outsourcing methods allow manufacturers to focus more time on core competencies such as product innovation, research and development or sales and marketing. A decision to outsource often hinges on various barriers to growth, including people, space and production lead times.
Whether a machine builder is struggling for available workers with the necessary skill, has a lack of space for new builds as orders grow, or is falling behind schedule and seeing lead times rise; outsourcing alleviates these pain points.
Operational benefits are one thing, but a strategic partner like PP C&A will also have the capability and capacity to manage a complex supply chain, leading to commercial benefits. Outsourcing supply chain management allows the customer to focus less on tactical ‘day-to-day’ purchasing activities (typically, placing and chasing) but focus more on strategic supplier development activities that reap greater rewards.
Access to extensive supplier networks, providing additional opportunities to establish new relationships or build on those already embedded, is also an area that manufacturers can only benefit from with a strategy developed with a high-level outsourcing partner.
Managing the entire supply chain with the infrastructure embedded within PP C&A ties manufacturing processes together in a streamlined manner and carries numerous commercial benefits. Explore them in ‘The tangible commercial benefits behind the transfer of supply chain ownership’ blog.
The tangible, real world and potentially massive benefits of a strategic partnership with a high-level outsourcing supplier are many and varied. The Outsourcing page will offer further insight.
The ability for a machine builder to maintain high levels of production flexibility in relation to changing demands has never been greater. Some markets are more predictive than others. Certainly in some sectors, where for a new sales opportunity to be realised for a machine builder, they require a fast ramp up in capacity to meet an expected customer lead time on a potentially larger order. OEMs that work closely with a strategic outsourcing partner will always have the ability to scale up quickly compared to a more vertically integrated business with multiple internal constraints.
Equally, with so much economic uncertainty in the world, it is quite possible that demand could drop off. Perhaps a short-term ‘blip’ or perhaps something more significant. Again, if a company has greater flexibility on resource and fixed costs by working with outsourcing partners, they will no doubt be able to weather any storm in a more positive manner.
Are you currently outsourcing to a variety of suppliers, potentially missing out on the operational and commercial benefits achieved by outsourcing to one strategic partner?
Use the form below to tell PP C&A what that procedure looks like. Using this information, the strategic and engineering experts at PP C&A will be able to tell you where efficiencies can be made, costs managed better and how your growth potential will be unlocked.
PP C&A strategic outsourcing solutions are the fastest way to profitability.
Control & Automation | Contract Manufacturing | Strategic Outsourcing
One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing specialists is tapping into the UK’s unprecedented investment in upgrading the electricity grid.
As Britain accelerates investment in grid infrastructure, protection and control capacity could become a critical delivery constraint.
The appointment of a new Prime Minister inevitably brings renewed debate about the direction of the UK economy and what it could mean for business.
Ian Knight, Chief Information Officer at PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) challenges the prevailing, often vague narrative around AI adoption and reframes the conversation around a more practical starting point: operational constraints.
Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept for manufacturers. It is already being explored across quotation, production planning, engineering, quality, supply chain and customer service functions. Yet, for many organisations, the gap between experimentation and meaningful operational impact remains difficult to close.
A leading aquaculture specialist – that is changing the way fish are vaccinated safely – has signed a major manufacturing deal.
On paper, defined discipline-specific suppliers can look organised. However, every additional supplier introduces another handoff, and every handoff creates another point where time, quality, communication and accountability can be lost.
Very rarely does growth not surface because an OEM lacks ambition. Shortcomings arise because operating models built to support such ambition don’t evolve quickly enough.
