BEYOND THE BUZZWORDS
Adaptive Innovations helps an automotive supplier deliver real value in high-volume manufacturing
BEYOND THE BUZZWORDS
Adaptive Innovations helps an automotive supplier deliver real value in high-volume manufacturing
Company
Our customer manufactures stainless steel band straps and corresponding clamping tools used in automotive manufacturing. Their production aimed for high volumes, with a goal of producing one part every 1.4 seconds.
Situation
Our customer approached Adaptive Innovations for a new machine. Their Statement of Work (SOW) included a machine acceptance requirement of a Cpk (Process Capability Index) of 1.67. A Cpk of 1.67 equates to less than three failures out of a million parts.
The practical implications of this requirement were problematic. To statistically prove a Cpk of 1.67, a vendor would need to run tens of thousands of parts through the machine during acceptance testing. This would lead to hundreds of hours and tons of wasted material for the customer, providing no immediate operational benefit. It was virtually impossible for a vendor to guarantee such out-of-the-box performance, especially if failures were rare (e.g., 1 in 30,000 cycles, making it untestable with only 1,500 runs). Insisting on this upfront requirement would result in a substantially higher price for the customer.
Solution
Our customer agreed to Adaptive Innovations’ guidance. This interaction highlighted Adaptive Innovations’ role in educating our customers, helping them understand the practical implications of their requests and steering them toward truly beneficial outcomes, moving beyond arbitrary specifications. This approach showcased Adaptive Innovations’ willingness to work with the customer to come up with a solution instead of just saying “we can’t meet your Statement of Work”. It also emphasized that the proposed solution was ultimately in the best interest of the customer.
This situation illustrates that, sometimes, expertise means guiding a customer towards realistic and valuable goals, rather than just fulfilling every stated demand. Our approach is like that of an architect who advises a client on the structural realities and budget implications of their dream design, ensuring a stable and cost-effective build rather than an unfeasible and costly fantasy.
Results
Our customer agreed to Adaptive Innovations’ guidance. This interaction highlighted Adaptive Innovations’ role in educating our customers, helping them understand the practical implications of their requests and steering them toward truly beneficial outcomes, moving beyond arbitrary specifications. This approach showcased Adaptive Innovations’ willingness to work with the customer to come up with a solution instead of just saying “we can’t meet your Statement of Work”. It also emphasized that the proposed solution was ultimately in the best interest of the customer.
This situation illustrates that, sometimes, expertise means guiding a customer towards realistic and valuable goals, rather than just fulfilling every stated demand. Our approach is like that of an architect who advises a client on the structural realities and budget implications of their dream design, ensuring a stable and cost-effective build rather than an unfeasible and costly fantasy.