julie88-93 Collaborative_Manufacturing 0517.indd

With increasingly lean labor budgets and project volume not slowing down, organizations should take advantage of the expertise and experience their supply chain has to offer. Building stronger relationships through a team approach can yield improved knowledge sharing, increased awareness of project constraints/boundaries, and identification of common goals. Ultimately, all stakeholders benefit when projects are completed at or before the deadline. With specific regard to plastic molded components in a medical device assembly, there are effective risk management approaches that the OEM and outsourcing suppliers can leverage to minimize the probability of recalls. Having an increased level of confidence in the molded components of an assembly provides value by enabling the OEM to focus on the overall performance of the medical device. As it relates to “cost of quality”—the supply chain’s ability to deliver good parts into the product stream with minimal variation at a cost-effective price—a major task for procurement is to find the value match, not just shop for “piece part price.” With each new project, whether a next-generation device or an enhancement to a legacy product, what’s most important needs to be identified. Further, how best to accomplish the following tasks needs to be considered: