Kaysun Blog

Outsourcing has long been a practical solution for manufacturers looking to keep budgets in check. Low-cost countries generally provide attractive price points for labor and products, especially when compared against those charged in North America. The lower the cost, the higher the competitive advantage.

The past several weeks have seen a whirlwind of collective emotion. The impact of COVID-19 is challenging all of us to reassess our priorities, appreciate things we tend to otherwise take for granted, and do our parts to protect each other by staying safer at home. 

Controlling costs is a huge part of any project. Materials can be expensive, especially advanced or specially engineered resins, so you want to select the right plastic and get as much bang for your materials buck as you can. One way to do this is the proper use of plastic regrind.

The global pandemic has North American manufacturing reeling. Nearly half of suppliers report shipping and logistics disruptions, with 35% also registering incidents of offshore factory suspension and/or production restrictions.¹

OEMs regularly face an important decision: use a supplier from overseas or partner with a US-based supplier.

Why is this so important? Because if your supplier is somehow incapacitated and deliverables are delayed, your orders go partially or wholly unfulfilled. That has a negative ripple effect on your customers and your reputation. This is evident from Thomas' March Industrial Survey, which saw a reduced desire from US manufacturers to source internationally (43% in February to 34% in March), and increase in those looking to source from North American manufacturers (47% from 43%).

Generally speaking, Design for Manufacturability (DfM) — or Design for Manufacturing — is the process of consciously and proactively designing products to optimize all facets of manufacturing. 

DfM methodology aligns engineering and production in the design phase, ensuring cost and time efficiencies, superior quality, regulatory compliance, and end-user satisfaction. Problems are identified and addressed early in the product development process, preventing costly issues that could impact manufacturability: raw materials selection, tolerances, and secondary processing.

As Industry 4.0 continues to evolve, the Internet of Things (IoT) takes on even greater importance. Automation and robots for injection molding machines are routinely found — and expected — on production lines as OEMs and custom injection molders lean into the future.

Kaysun's commitment to excellence is well documented through our certifications, including ISO 13485:2016 and IATF 16949:2016. However, MedAccred Plastics accreditation puts us in an elite group of injection molders that can capably and confidently serve the medical industry — assuring medical OEMs of a focus on patient safety and an unparalleled benchmark of quality standards.

To shed some light on MedAccred, Quality Manager Ray Dorow and I have some key insights about what the accreditation process entails, and what it means for our medical OEM partners.

Regardless of application, injection-molded parts and products are expected to perform to stringent quality and regulatory standards.

Ensuring successful outcomes requires application of scientific molding principles by experienced injection molders and trained engineering teams during development and production.