When a new product is developed, a lot of work is often needed with the suppliers of components and materials. They are an integral part of the success of the project. In many cases, we run a feasibility study to reduce risks as finding mistakes when production has already started is too late in some cases and can be very costly (with returns, rework, scrap, etc). We will explain: - Why the feasibility is important ion detail - The key questions it should answer - How long it should take Watch this presentation's video here: https://youtu.be/GVsUzeApz2g If you are currently developing a new product for manufacture in China or SE Asia, we have a range of solutions to make your life easier, save you money, and get you to market faster: https://www.sofeast.com/product-engineering-solutions/

1. NPI Process #3
Why A Feasibility Study With Suppliers
& Component Suppliers Saves Time &
Prevents Issues

2.  One of the root causes of many quality issues is poor communication, and it is
particularly true in China.
 When a new product is developed, a lot of work is often needed with the
suppliers of components and materials. They are an integral part of the
success of the project.
 In many cases, we run a feasibility study to reduce risks, rather like detecting
mines. Here is why.

3. Why conducting a feasibility study with
component suppliers before production is
smart
 Many Chinese salespeople won’t look at the details of a project until
production starts, but this is when most issues become clear.
 They don’t want things to go wrong, rather they’re geared towards getting
production going as soon as possible and not ‘worrying about the small
things’. The sooner the product is made and shipped, the sooner they receive
their full payment.
 This can take the form of ‘almost’ perfect product quality (or 差不多
Chàbùduō), which is ‘good enough’ for the supplier but is seldom good enough
for the inventor, the customers, or the end-users.

4. Why skipping the small details can lead
to costly mistakes
Here is an example of a serious, yet avoidable, mistake.
A headphone manufacturer was using the wrong type of glue to bind plastic and
wood together.
 They had not asked their glue supplier if they were using the right type of
glue for that.
 Many thousands of headphones had been shipped out and customer
complaints were pouring in, and when the glue supplier was finally informed
— they swiftly confirmed their glue had been misused.
This could have been avoided if measures were put in place to check that the
glue being used was going to be suitable before production started.

5. What are the benefits of a feasibility
study?
You really, really don’t want to discover issues once the tooling fabrication has
been kicked off and the materials for mass production have been made — it
might mean scrapping expensive parts and/or tools and waiting for 3-6 more
weeks before production can start!
Therefore, this study provides:
 A financial benefit from avoiding waste and scrap
 Reduced lead times

6. What questions should the feasibility
study answer?
The feasibility study needs to explore the ability of each supplier of a critical
component to produce it on time, within budget, and at the requested level of
quality.
In particular, the following questions (among others) are asked:
 Do the component suppliers feel confident they can meet all the tolerances, especially on
critical-to-quality dimensions?
 Do they understand all the requirements, within the context of the full product? Can they see
certain risks, and what can be done?
 Do they have any suggestions that would allow for lower cost or better quality? For example, a
different material, a different type of process, etc.
 The next step is often obvious. If they have a theory of what will happen but can’t present
assurances backed by facts and examples, a small-scale test can be conducted and validated. If it is
not validated, another approach needs to be studied.

7. How long does the study take?
This type of feasibility study can take as little as 1 hour, but it can lead to
widespread changes in the initial product design, new prototypes, and so on.
The objective here is to prevent the situation where problems are noticed in
mass production or, worse, in the field by consumers.
Spending some time upfront and reducing risks can avoid major cost overruns and
delays.

8. NPI Process #3
Why A Feasibility Study With Suppliers
Saves Time & Prevents Issues