Capital Light Assembly with Edison

Hosted by Edison Manufacturing and Engineering

Technology

Website RSS feed

Episodes

Latest episode

Jul 2024

Language

About the show

Focused on what it takes to thrive in low-volume, complex assembly operations. Brought to you by Edison Manufacturing and Engineering - your low volume contract manufacturing partner for capital light assembly of complex mobility and energy products that don't fit neatly within traditional high volume production.

Listen to episodes

29 recent

July 17, 202411 min

Pros and Cons of In-house Production & Contract Manufacturing

Choosing between in-house production or working with a contract manufacturing partner can be a difficult decision. This episode helps to dissect the pros and cons of each option, while also providing a third alternative. Benefits of in-house - Proximity between design and production - Opportunity to be scrappy - Theoretical potential to capture greater gross margin - Confidentiality is simpler - Greater flexibility - Quality and delivery is within your control - You care more Benefits of CM - Able to get to market faster - Predictable costs - Reduced capital investment - Higher net profit margin potential - Ability to leverage relevant, specialized knowledge - Ability to focus on core competency outside manufacturing - Greater reliability and performance (if you pick the right CM) Question - what do you do if you want to get the best of both worlds? About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Edison website: ⁠⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠⁠ Edison LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠⁠ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

June 10, 20248 min

Manufacturing Tips for Launching in a New Market

The conversation discusses the effective, efficient, and reliable introduction and launch of a new product in a new market, focusing on five key tips. These tips include starting small, leveraging manufacturing best practices, determining what is 'good enough' for the new market, using the right suppliers, and maintaining tight communication and collaboration between product development, business, and manufacturing functions. Takeaways: - Starting small and validating the market before investing heavily in capital is crucial for a successful product launch. - Leveraging manufacturing best practices and determining the quality and reliability standards for the new market are essential for delivering a high-quality product. - Selecting the right suppliers for the application and maintaining tight communication and collaboration between key stakeholders are critical for an effective product launch. - Collaboration between design, business, and manufacturing functions is imperative. Keywords product launch, new market, manufacturing best practices, market validation, supplier selection, communication and collaboration About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: ⁠⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠⁠ Edison LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠⁠ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

May 10, 20245 min

Launching a New Product Quickly without Overspending or Sacrificing Quality

When launching a new product or version, it's important to balance speed, cost, and quality. Start with a strong and flexible foundation, understanding the unique requirements of your product. Turn the dials appropriately by finding the right balance between formal processes and speed. Be efficient with capital by starting with manual processes and introducing automation when necessary. Don't forget about in-process quality checks, but be intentional about when and where to implement them. Takeaways: Start with a strong and flexible foundation for production Understand the unique requirements of your product Find the right balance between formal processes and speed Be efficient with capital by starting with manual processes Implement in-process quality checks strategically Keywords product launch, speed, cost, quality, strong foundation, unique requirements, formal processes, automation, in-process quality checks About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: ⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠ Edison LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

April 11, 20244 min

AV Production Tip #7 - Understand that Reliable Production is Critical for Business Success

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The seventh tip is to understand that reliable production is critical for business success. The following questions are addressed in this video: Why is manufacturing so important for an AV company? What role does production play? Why is trust so important in a relationship with a manufacturing partner? Key themes include: AV production Operational efficiency Production performance Partnership Customer-centric manufacturing About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/ Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

March 28, 20244 min

AV Production Tip #6 - Choose the Right Things to Optimize

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The sixth tip is to choose the right things to optimize. The following questions are addressed in this video: What variables should be optimized during prototype builds? What should be optimized for low volume production? Why is supplier delivery and quality so important? Key themes include: Cost Manufacturing optimization Continuous improvement Production strategy About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/ Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

March 14, 20245 min

AV Production Tip #5 - Build and Execute within a Robust Supply Chain

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The fifth tip is to build and execute within a robust supply chain. The following questions are addressed in this video: What is the biggest risk posed to AV manufacturing operations? Why is supplier selection and supplier quality so important? What elements are most critical when establishing a supply chain? What activities are required following goods receipt to assure that materials and components are available when and where they are needed? Key themes include: Supply chain optimization Supplier quality Material planning and logistics Inventory management Supply chain strategy About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/ Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

February 29, 20245 min

AV Production Tip #4 - Optimize for Human-Centric Production Processes

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The fourth tip is to optimize for human-centric production processes. The following questions are addressed in this video: Why will AV upfits and retrofits be a manual-heavy process? How should automation be applied for AV assembly? What are the most important considerations for controlling quality for manual processes? Key themes include: Poka-yoke Production process Operator work instructions Repeatability Operator screening and selection Operator training About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/ Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

February 15, 20245 min

AV Production Tip #3 - Plan for Traceability in Manufacturing Processes

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The third tip is to plan for traceability in manufacturing processes. The following questions are addressed in this video: How can AV companies assure quality throughout production How does the APQP process apply to AV assembly? What role does traceability play for AV production? How should product genealogy be handled? Key themes include: Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (DFMEA) Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) Quality planning Data capture Manufacturing traceability Quality control Quality plans Quality Management System (QMS) ISO9001 About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/ Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

February 1, 20246 min

AV Production Tip #2 - Optimize your Manufacturing Strategy for Flexibility

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The second tip is to optimize your manufacturing strategy for flexibility. The following questions are addressed in this video: How can volatility be overcome in the autonomous vehicle market? How can manufacturing systems be designed for flexibility? Why is capital efficiency so important? How should engineering changes be managed? Key themes include: Change management Flexible manufacturing Agile production management Agile planning Capital efficiency Flexible production About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/ Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

January 21, 20243 min

AV Production Tip #1 - Begin the Production Planning Process Early

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The first tip is to Begin the Production Planning Process Early. The following questions are addressed in this video: - When should production planning begin? - What should be considered during early production planning? - What aspects should an initial manufacturing strategy include? - How does the APQP process apply to production planning? - Why is early production planning crucial? Key themes include: - Design for Manufacturing - Design for Assembly - Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) - Production Planning - Production Capacity Planning About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: ⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠ Edison LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/⁠