Early supplier involvement during NPI and industrialisation

A machine module for a Dutch client was developed from scratch, based on defined requirements. From the concept phase onwards, supply chain and manufacturing engineers were part of the core team. Not as an afterthought during NPI, but during concept and detailed design. The objective was straightforward: prepare the product for volume manufacturing while it was still being designed.

Preparing the supply chain during concept and detailed design

During early development, the team did not only focus on functionality and performance. Parallel to design work, the supply chain was assessed and structured to support high-volume production. This meant looking at practical constraints early:

• Material availability in the intended manufacturing region
• Regional part numbering conventions for commercially off-the-shelf components
• The full scope of QLTC, including logistics considerations

These aspects influence manufacturability, lead times and cost structure. Addressing them during design avoids late adjustments when production preparation has already started.

International supplier engagement and design alignment

Based on the client’s shortlist and final supplier selection, engagement started with the chosen volume manufacturer. The selected supplier was headquartered in Singapore, with production facilities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Early Supplier Involvement was organised before NPI activities commenced. The manufacturer reviewed the design in detail, providing feedback based on their way of working and production facilities.

This review was used to align the design with manufacturing reality. Adjustments were made while changes were still manageable within the development phase.

Structured NPI and industrialisation support

After the early supplier alignment, focus shifted to New Product Introduction at the manufacturing site. Activities included:

• Setting up manufacturing flows
• Performing pFMEA
• Defining and securing quality statistics
• Supervising production preparation

Industrialisation was not limited to documentation. Mechanical engineers who had designed and realised the first prototypes travelled to the Kuala Lumpur facility during the 0-series. They provided training on assembly and supervised qualification testing. This ensured that design intent was transferred directly to production engineers and operators.

From 0-series to stable ramp-up

Feedback from the first 0-series builds was collected and evaluated. Where optimisation was required, design updates were processed within the established way of working. Because industrialisation had been embedded from the start of product development, NPI was prepared in advance. Issues that did arise remained limited in impact. Cost of poor quality was reduced and ramp-up progressed without major disruption.

Once processes were stable and all QLTC elements were secured, responsibility transitioned fully to the client. The result was an internationally established volume supplier ready for production ramp-up.

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