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5 Essential Steps to Take to Turn Your Outsourcing Project into an Inhouse Process
September 4th, 2015
5 Essential Steps to Converting your Outsourced Project into an In-house Process.
In todays uncertain economy, it is important to discover ways to conserve money. One way that a company can accomplish that is by discontinuing the outsourcing of their labor. If you are a manufacturer who outsources converting (the process of cutting master rolls of material to 2 or more smaller rolls) services, it could be very beneficial to your company to take the steps necessary to modify that part of your process to one that is done in house.
1.) Analyze what you are currently paying for the converting work to be done by someone else. Contract converters will charge for everything from machine set-up to slit method, number of master rolls, number of child rolls, specific delivery time, material storage, etc. Learn exactly what you are being charged for and determine the savings that you can incur by returning your converting process to an in-house capability.
2.) Educate yourself about specific elements of the process which is being outsourced. Become an expert on the specifics of the converting project? Learn how your material is being converted and which slitting method would make the most sense. There are several choices when it comes to slitting, all resulting in different effect of the fabric. Determine whether your material is being converted into sheets, or if it is being slit by a razor, score, shear, hot knife, or ultrasonic slitting method and determine the slit widths and tolerances that you will be satisfied with in your finished product.
3.) Determine physical space constraints and limitations of your facility. Most converting machines run off of 3 phase 230V or 480V power supply. The electrical availability could be different in your facility. Determine which electrical set-up you have in your facility and what it would take to add an electrical supply source if necessary. Also, keep in mind that you may be limited in available space in your facility. Carefully, map out the available space you have allotted for your new converting machine and account for space for storing master rolls, as well as, finished rolls.
4.) Determine your budget. Perhaps the most important thing to do when looking at an operation change like this is to determine if it fits within your budgetary guidelines and is going to be economical with all avenues considered. A Custom Converting machine can be extremely costly, however if you consider all of the expenses that will alleviated, and will actually make more since economically in the long run. Depending on how much you spend for a converting service, a seemingly larger investment now could help you save money in the future.
5.) Contact an experienced converting machine builder. With there being so many custom converting machine manufacturers in the market today, choosing the right one, one that you can trust, which is key, because the company you choose will literally be holding the future of your company in their hands. Make sure that you ask for references from companies that they have built for in the past. Find a company that makes you feel welcome and informed at all times. You should never be made to feel as if they are too busy for you, no matter if they are building you a $1,000.00 machine or a $100,000,000.00 machine.
For over 35 years Contech has been engineering and manufacturing equipment that does things most thought were impossible. For more than 100 industries including packaging, plastics, graphics, textiles, and electronics, Contech has been engineering and manufacturing equipment systems that convert your problems into successes by improving the converting process and system automation in order to eliminate labor, improve plant efficiency, and increase customer profits. We are equipped and determined to provide custom engineering and manufacturing, utilizing leading cutting-edge technology to handle the most difficult materials and solve your toughest production problems. The result…is equipment designed for profitable operation, bred for performance and reliability. With a team that has over 230 combined years of experience, we will take your dream and turn it into reality.
We realize that this is a large investment not only in the amount of capital being invested, but the trust you will be putting into the individuals you choose to build the equipment, on which the future of your company depends. Contech has taken a new approach to customer service; we strive to prove our commitment to consistently deliver the best customer service. Not enough companies today make customer care a priority and that is where Contech has vowed to really set ourselves apart from the other companies in our industry, our pledge is to concentrate solely on our customers and to ensure that your entire experience with Contech is a positive one, from the time you receive a quote and throughout the entire life of the equipment we design for you.
Give us a call! 316-722-6907, or shoot us an email. We would love to help you turn your outsourced project into an in house process.
“If you need a machine and don’t buy it, then you will ultimately find you have paid for it but don’t have it.”
Henry Ford