“It’s nice when a supplier offers a cost-reducing solution without even having to ask” – OEM Manufacturer
A current customer of CGR Products, an electrical enclosure OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) was developing a new line of large metal enclosures. The engineers at the manufacturer designed the gasket for the doors as a 1 piece design. The material chosen was fairly expensive and quite thick. The purchasing team sent the drawing to CGR Products to request a quote.
Fact Finding
Upon receiving the print at CGR Products, our product development team realized quite fast that the gasket being used was very large. A one piece die cut gasket from the chosen material (or any material for that matter) would have a higher cost and produce a large amount of scrap. Our product development team asked a series of probing questions to the OEM engineers as to use and function of the enclosure in hopes to offer a cost saving alternative. It was determined a dove-tailed type design might could be used.
For analysis, the OEM decided to have CGR Products quote the part 2 ways – one as the original layout, the other as the dove-tailed design. “It’s nice when a supplier offers a cost-reducing solution without even having to ask” said an associate from the OEM.
The Result
The next step was to cut some prototypes of the dove-tailed design that matched the door layout to be used in testing. The result from testing was the dove-tailed design worked perfectly. The engineers at the OEM changed the gasket drawing to the dove-tailed design and their purchasing department started ordering the parts.
The chosen raw material comes in one square yard sheets. The yield went from approximately 1 gasket per sheet to 9 gasket sets per sheet. The Cost difference of the dove-tailed design saved the manufacturer roughly 80% over the original design. Over the life of the project, the savings will add up to a substantial amount of actual dollars in the bank.
Partnering with CGR
Our staff are experts at finding creative solutions to manufacturing problems. At CGR Products, custom solutions are truly our specialty.
Do you have a problem that requires an innovative solution? Contact us today to discuss how we can help.
