Whatever the industry, there is a tendency today to try to find a cost-effective solution to final product assembly by cutting out all of the unnecessary double-handing of goods and component parts.
Having found a viable sub-contract sheet metal engineering company to make up the parts and housings say it looks like waste to then have the expense of having it all shipped back to you to be put together, finally inspected, labeled and boxed ready for despatch etc.
With some of the more advanced sheet metal engineering companies offering an extensive range of "additional" services inclusive of powder coating and even, in some cases, plastic vacuum forming, it may not be too surprising to also find that there are those who have taken the extra step to offer a full one-stop shop service.
For many years now there have been plenty of companies offering the Printed Circuit Board type final assemblies, but what we are talking about here is the much bigger picture:
- Mechanical Assemblies
- Electromechanical Assemblies
- Electronics Assemblies – PCB's / Wiring Looms / Security Systems
Why ship large bulky items back to have the "innards" located, or all the electronics fitted etc – why not have it fully assembled in the same place where the majority of the components and sub-assemblies have been manufactured?
Yes – of course no company that I know of is going to offer this service purely for the joy of working, and they will make a charge for the service, BUT if it is faster and easier and cost-effective in terms of not shipping bulky parts back, risking transit damage, employing assembly staff (this way you only pay when you are using them) and having to maintain your own QA and despatch / warehousing systems then the Complete Service option may well suit you.
As a complete service there are companies that have taken the service all the way to the final conclusion in that once they have built and assembled the final product they will:
- Final Test on your behalf
- Inspect on your behalf
- Pack on your behalf
- Label on your behalf
- Store on your behalf
- Take orders on your behalf
- Offer sales administration and Sales support on your behalf
- Despatch on your behalf
Not everyone is going to be able to offer this level of service of course, but it does indicate a willingness on the part of the supplier to go that extra mile to offer a fully inclusive service – but you must check for yourself that they have the resources, the systems and expertise, the warehousing space to accommodate your goods and the distribution network capable of meeting your customers requirements to your satisfaction.