Custom Cable, like any other organization that is involved in manufacturing, must deal with the constant influx of new product requests and design changes. We are especially susceptible to this because by the very nature of our business, we build a “Custom” product. This means we need to provide technical sales support and engineering resources for almost every sale.
There had to be a better way of taking our extensive knowledge base and automating the processes to make technology work for us and streamline the Sales/Engineering process.
So when we built the Punchout Site and the cable configuration tools inside the BUY site, we took that concept to the next level.
When a customer designs a new cable on the punchout tool, they not only have complete control over the design, but during the design process the BUY site is automatically doing all the back-end engineering work that needs to be done in order to allow us to manufacture that cable exactly the way they want it built, which reduces error and mis-communication, improves quality assurance, saves time, and brings down costs in the process which translates into quicker delivery at lower cost.
How it use to be
In the old days, we would need to talk with the customer and gather all the information required to build the custom assembly…sometimes requiring drawings to be sent back and forth between sales staff, engineering, and the customer so the design was well understood. Then the design was passed to Engineering who world break down the design to determine the cost of materials, estimate labor, and establish a price. This information was then passed back to sales who would pass this on to the customer. When an order was placed for the new assembly, it was then passed back to engineering where it was assigned a new part number and a drawing had to be created for manufacturing, a bill of materials had to be created in the ERP system, and routing instructions created for the manufacturing process. Then after all that, sales could enter the order into the system and release the Job to the production floor to have the cable manufactured.
In some cases, it actually took longer to go through this manual Sales/Engineering process then it did to actually build the cable assembly.
How it works with Automation
The customer now steps through the design process online without the need for a sales person to be on the phone to gather the information on what is needed. The customer is in complete control of the design, selecting the various connectors, cable, and options required for their unique cable assembly requirement. The BUY site engine then takes that design and breaks it down into its component parts, assigns a smart part number to the assembly, creates a complete Bill of Materials and prices the assembly. It also builds a CAD drawing that can be used in manufacturing so we understand your specific design requirements, and passes the BOM, material routing instructions, CAD drawing, and order information directly into our ERP system and creates an order for the assemblies required.
Now that is Automation
- No need for a Sales Person or Engineering Staff to work with the customer to design the assembly.
- No need to use engineering time to create BOMs, Determine costs, or create CAD drawings.
- No need for Sales to do data entry into the system to process the order.
This saves time, reduces errors, and helps to keep costs down so that we can provide you custom assemblies exactly as YOU designed them, at reasonable prices, with fast delivery.
It is a Win-Win and it sets Amphenol Custom Cable apart from the rest of the crowd.
Try it for yourself, design your next custom cable requirement at buy.customcable.com