Choosing between in-house production or working with a contract manufacturing partner can be a difficult decision. This episode helps to dissect the pros and cons of each option, while also providing a third alternative. Benefits of in-house - Proximity between design and production - Opportunity to be scrappy - Theoretical potential to capture greater gross margin - Confidentiality is simpler - Greater flexibility - Quality and delivery is within your control - You care more Benefits of CM - Able to get to market faster - Predictable costs - Reduced capital investment - Higher net profit margin potential - Ability to leverage relevant, specialized knowledge - Ability to focus on core competency outside manufacturing - Greater reliability and performance (if you pick the right CM) Question - what do you do if you want to get the best of both worlds? About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Edison website: ⁠⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠⁠ Edison LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠⁠ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

The conversation discusses the effective, efficient, and reliable introduction and launch of a new product in a new market, focusing on five key tips. These tips include starting small, leveraging manufacturing best practices, determining what is 'good enough' for the new market, using the right suppliers, and maintaining tight communication and collaboration between product development, business, and manufacturing functions. Takeaways: - Starting small and validating the market before investing heavily in capital is crucial for a successful product launch. - Leveraging manufacturing best practices and determining the quality and reliability standards for the new market are essential for delivering a high-quality product. - Selecting the right suppliers for the application and maintaining tight communication and collaboration between key stakeholders are critical for an effective product launch. - Collaboration between design, business, and manufacturing functions is imperative. Keywords product launch, new market, manufacturing best practices, market validation, supplier selection, communication and collaboration About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: ⁠⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠⁠ Edison LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠⁠ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

When launching a new product or version, it's important to balance speed, cost, and quality. Start with a strong and flexible foundation, understanding the unique requirements of your product. Turn the dials appropriately by finding the right balance between formal processes and speed. Be efficient with capital by starting with manual processes and introducing automation when necessary. Don't forget about in-process quality checks, but be intentional about when and where to implement them.

Takeaways:

• Start with a strong and flexible foundation for production
• Understand the unique requirements of your product
• Find the right balance between formal processes and speed
• Be efficient with capital by starting with manual processes
• Implement in-process quality checks strategically

Keywords

product launch, speed, cost, quality, strong foundation, unique requirements, formal processes, automation, in-process quality checks

About Edison:

Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise.

Edison website: ⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠

Edison LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠

Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The seventh tip is to understand that reliable production is critical for business success.

The following questions are addressed in this video:

• Why is manufacturing so important for an AV company?
• What role does production play?
• Why is trust so important in a relationship with a manufacturing partner?

Key themes include:

• AV production
• Operational efficiency
• Production performance
• Partnership
• Customer-centric manufacturing

About Edison:

Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise.

Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/

Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/

Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The sixth tip is to choose the right things to optimize.

The following questions are addressed in this video:

• What variables should be optimized during prototype builds?
• What should be optimized for low volume production?
• Why is supplier delivery and quality so important?

Key themes include:

• Cost
• Manufacturing optimization
• Continuous improvement
• Production strategy

About Edison:

Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise.

Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/

Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/

Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The fifth tip is to build and execute within a robust supply chain.

The following questions are addressed in this video:

• What is the biggest risk posed to AV manufacturing operations?
• Why is supplier selection and supplier quality so important?
• What elements are most critical when establishing a supply chain?
• What activities are required following goods receipt to assure that materials and components are available when and where they are needed?

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Key themes include:

• Supply chain optimization
• Supplier quality
• Material planning and logistics
• Inventory management
• Supply chain strategy

About Edison:

Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise.

Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/

Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/

Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The fourth tip is to optimize for human-centric production processes.

The following questions are addressed in this video:

• Why will AV upfits and retrofits be a manual-heavy process?
• How should automation be applied for AV assembly?
• What are the most important considerations for controlling quality for manual processes?

Key themes include:

• Poka-yoke
• Production process
• Operator work instructions
• Repeatability
• Operator screening and selection
• Operator training

About Edison:

Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise.

Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/

Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/

Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

This video is part of a series focused on 7 Tips to Reliably Scale Autonomous Vehicle Production. The third tip is to plan for traceability in manufacturing processes.

The following questions are addressed in this video:

• How can AV companies assure quality throughout production
• How does the APQP process apply to AV assembly?
• What role does traceability play for AV production?
• How should product genealogy be handled?

Key themes include:

• Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP)
• Design Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (DFMEA)
• Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (PFMEA)
• Quality planning
• Data capture
• Manufacturing traceability
• Quality control
• Quality plans
• Quality Management System (QMS)
• ISO9001

About Edison:

Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise.

Edison website: https://edison-mfg.com/

Edison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/

Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/