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. But it is not about time and speed only, customers expect that the products or services ordered also meet their quality and performance expectations.
Especially in demanding B2B (Business to Business) markets like 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 become a challenge for companies.
In this article, we are exploring the importance of lead times and how new capabilities like rapid prototyping and optimized process design can be beneficial for tape customers and manufacturers alike.
In demanding markets like the automotive industry, production processes are optimally matched to each other to be able to produce around the clock with the highest quality and efficiency. In addition, companies try to minimize the amount of stock materials to save costs. This set-up requires sophisticated timing and reliable partners, supply chain and logistics to ensure all materials are available on time.
But such complex systems can also be fragile, and one missing piece in the giant puzzle could lead to standstill of the entire production process or parts of it. That is why lead times can be so important and make or break customer satisfaction or result in delayed projects and increased costs. By understanding the impact of lead times on customer satisfaction, Saint-Gobain® Tape Solutions constantly implements new capabilities to improve overall performance.
What sounds self-evident and banal at first glance often turns out to be the exact opposite. It requires a holistic approach that involves collaboration, data analysis, continuous improvement and investment in new capabilities to streamline operations and meet the demands of even the most demanding markets.
Therefore, Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions, as a worldwide leader in tape manufacturing, invests in new capacities, streamlined processes, and advanced production equipment like rapid prototyping in our production sites all over the world.
As an example, by specializing one of our sites exclusively in further processing and converting, existing in-house capacities can be optimally used, and production times can be reduced. At the same time, customers benefit from further in-depth specific expertise through consistently high quality. Investing in equipment, processes and people can be a win-win situation for customers and the company in the long run through improved efficiency, reduced costs and shorter lead times.
Such specialization and i.e. the extension of the Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions capabilities for solvent-free acrylic tape production are implemented to reduce lead times to a minimum. As an added value, new production capabilities or rapid prototyping process options free capacities for other customer projects or research and development of new innovative solutions.
Shortening transportation and distances to customers can boost lead time reduction. As we cannot move our customer’s facilities, Saint-Gobain Tape Solutions not only extended capacities in Europe by integrating two production sites in Germany and Poland. Through this, we moved even closer to our customers and other sites. Increased production capacity, new technologies and most importantly regional production help reduce and ensure lead times.
The installation of new equipment like new mixers in our Hoosick Falls (USA) site is a good example of various benefits such an investment provides. It maximizes 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 that boosts throughput, customers benefit from reduced lead times but also from reduced energy consumption per unit which helps the company and customers on the way to reducing our footprint.
In addition, new ovens and dual-blade mixers installed in Hoosick Falls together with the optimization of coating lines further extend production capacities, speed, quality and reduce waste. The impact of waste reduction on lead times is often not considered 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 significant impact on the ability of OTIF to the customer.
These are just a few examples of how a worldwide leader in tapes is extending capabilities in many ways and across regions to optimize productivity and quality for customers. Many more are being implemented or in the pipeline, which underlines the importance of optimizing lead times and fulfilling customers' needs — fast.
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 basis for growing reliable connections. If you would like to learn more about how your projects can benefit the most from current optimizations, reach out to your local tape expert and see how product quality and reliable lead times can help grow your business.