A partnership with an original equipment manufacturing (OEM) supply vendor comes with a long list of benefits, including cost savings through a full range of services conducted by highly skilled technicians. These resources can provide you with unique solutions to grow your revenue, assisting with risk mitigation throughout the supply chain and more.
According to a McKinsey & Company article, advanced OEM supply vendors, especially those that provide automotive components, have permanent supply chain risk management teams and processes in place to ensure their customers are provided with cost-efficient and high-quality components.
Although you are likely seeking an OEM supply vendor primarily for their manufacturing services, there are services in addition to manufacturing that can support you throughout each project, from the time it’s imagined to when it is completed. For example, an OEM’s:
- Design services foster collaboration with expert designers to ensure your component is strong and functional as possible.
- Sourcing services find the most cost-efficient procurement opportunities.
- Manufacturing services include a range of services so that no project falls out of scope.
- Management services ensure project management remains consistent with the contract and executed efficiently.
Ultimately, your goal is to find an OEM supply vendor that provides you with the knowledge that you are receiving the highest quality components and services. To learn more about their benefits, read on.
Design Services
An experienced, highly skilled team of designers should provide you with more than designs for your component. They should also be able to conduct an analysis of your designs, providing expert recommendations to create the most dynamic, functional precision component designs.
Typically, the design phase is collaborative through the following steps:
- The manufacturer seeking outsourced component manufacturing will provide a 3D spec of the component.
- From there, the OEM supplier will create 2D drawings of the component, subject to client approval, after which begins the pre-production process of the component.
Providing an end-to-end solution, your OEM supplier creates each component as differentiated and reliable as needed, using in-house unique technologies.
Sourcing Services
Sourcing services can be defined by a number of different acquisition practices, for instance, acquiring a raw material or developing a unique component or fitted part.
One of the main types of sourcing services is procurement service. Procurement services provide significant benefits to customers of OEM suppliers. Procurement services can be:
Purchasing products or raw material, which is the key task in any procurement role that requires professionals to monitor market trends, predictions and customer demand, and ensure legal compliance under company policy.
- Purchasing products or raw material, which is the key task in any procurement role that requires professionals to monitor market trends, predictions and customer demand, and ensure legal compliance under company policy.
- Managing internal processes of the procurement process ensures the integrity of internal structures and tasks, and helps ensure that finding cost-savings through vendor negotiations runs smoothly.
- Maintaining supplier relationships provides optimal benefits through long-lasting exchanges that ensure both parties are feeling satisfied and delivering on their promises and prices.
- Managing transition phases of the supply chain requires careful attention and planning to ensure the process from procurement to manufacturing and distribution is smooth and efficient.
When it comes to sourcing services, your OEM supplier needs to have a procurement team that can retain supplier relationships and allow clients to experience cost savings.
Manufacturing Services
Manufacturing includes a wide range of services to produce the countless number of components needed for all industries. When you look for an OEM supply vendor, make sure they have a number of facilities that are dedicated to one or two manufacturing practices. This lets you know that each facility is well equipped with the proper machinery, which should include robotic machinery, and employees trained for the specific production task.
Be sure to look for primary manufacturing services, such as:
- Forging to create a tight grain structure for a mechanically strong component
- Die-casting for complex components produced at a high volume
- Welding to combine disparate components without changing the physical state
- Stamping to produce specific components from flat material
Although most OEM supply vendors provide the primary services, secondary services are also indicators of a team of highly skilled technicians. These services can include painting and coating, CNC machining, plastic injection and laser cutting for more complex components.
Management Services
Collaboration and client relations should be at the top of the list when looking for an OEM supply vendor. When it comes to management services, your partner should support your manufacturing project beyond the design and manufacturing stages and also provide:
- Project planning that shows a detailed timeline of tasks and deadlines
- Research and development in component manufacturing so that benefits of innovation and efficiency can be passed on to you
- Cost estimates so that no clients receive unexpected invoices
- Market intelligence to stay on top of trends and competition that can ultimately benefit your company
VPIC Group’s Investment
Partnering with an OEM supply vendor includes more than just the production of components. At VPIC Group, we invest in design, sourcing, manufacturing and management services so that no project falls outside of our scope.
Our facilities and capabilities include:
- Completed manufacturing and assembling services
- Extremely high quality control
- Low minimum order
- Adapted packaging
- Guaranteed timely delivery
Ready to take the first step in your new OEM supply vendor partnership? Contact us today.
