How Short Lead Times Benefit Customers and Producers in Demanding Markets
Fast delivery, fast- or even ultra-fast charging, rapid prototyping — time, and especially saving time, is one of the most important phenomena and challenges today. However, it is not just about time and speed; customers also expect the products or services they order to meet their quality and performance expectations.
Particularly in demanding B2B (Business to Business) markets such as automotive, aerospace, and others, where late delivery or part failure is not an option, OTP (On Time to Promise), OTIF (On Time In Full), and minimal lead times can pose a challenge for companies.
In this article, we are examining the importance of lead times and how new capabilities such as rapid prototyping and optimised process design can benefit both tape customers and manufacturers.
In demanding markets such as the automotive industry, production processes are optimally aligned to enable round-the-clock production with the highest quality and efficiency. Additionally, companies aim to minimise the amount of stock materials to reduce costs. This setup requires precise timing and reliable partners, supply chain, and logistics to ensure all materials are available on time.
However, such complex systems can also be fragile, and one missing piece in the vast puzzle could bring the entire production process, or parts of it, to a standstill. This is why lead times are so crucial and can determine customer satisfaction, cause project delays, or increase costs. By understanding the impact of lead times on customer satisfaction, Saint-Gobain® Tape Solutions continuously implements new capabilities to enhance overall performance.
What may seem self-evident and trivial at first glance often turns out to be quite the opposite. It requires a holistic approach involving collaboration, data analysis, continuous improvement, and investment in new capabilities to streamline operations and meet the demands of even the most challenging markets.
Therefore, Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions, as a global leader in tape manufacturing, invests in new capacities, streamlined processes, and advanced production equipment such as rapid prototyping at our production sites around the world.
For example, by specialising one of our sites exclusively in further processing and converting, existing in-house capacities can be optimally utilised, and production times can be reduced. At the same time, customers benefit from more in-depth specific expertise through consistently high quality. Investing in equipment, processes, and people can create a win-win situation for customers and the company in the long term through improved efficiency, reduced costs, and shorter lead times.
Such specialisation and, for instance, the expansion of Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions' capabilities for solvent-free acrylic tape production are implemented to minimise lead times. As an added benefit, new production capabilities or rapid prototyping process options free up capacities for other customer projects or research and development of new innovative solutions.
Shortening transport and distances to customers can enhance lead time reduction. As we cannot relocate our customer’s facilities, Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions has not only expanded capacities in Europe by integrating two production sites in Germany and Poland. Through this, we have moved even closer to our customers and other sites. Increased production capacity, new technologies and, most importantly, regional production help to reduce and ensure lead times.
The installation of new equipment, such as new mixers at our Hoosick Falls (USA) site, is a good example of the various benefits such an investment provides. It maximises the safety of our workers on the one hand and increases productivity and quality at the same time. Along with the implementation of new technologies to reduce material curing time, which boosts throughput, customers benefit not only from reduced lead times but also from reduced energy consumption per unit, which helps both the company and customers on the journey to reducing our environmental footprint.
In addition, new ovens and dual-blade mixers installed in Hoosick Falls, together with the optimisation of coating lines, further extend production capacities, speed, quality and reduce waste. The impact of waste reduction on lead times is often overlooked, but in a holistic approach, the fact that less waste means more high-quality material output and less need for additional production steps can have a significant impact on the ability to deliver OTIF to the customer.
These are just a few examples of how a global leader in tapes is expanding capabilities in many ways and across regions to optimise productivity and quality for customers. Many more are being implemented or are in the pipeline, which underlines the importance of optimising lead times and meeting customers' needs — quickly.
We have seen that a consistent focus on production process design, OPT, OTIF and reduced lead times is not only essential in various industries, but also a guarantee for customer satisfaction. Investing in new processes and capacities is the foundation for building reliable connections. If you would like to learn more about how your projects can benefit the most from current optimisations, reach out to your local tape expert and see how product quality and reliable lead times can help grow your business.