Lemons to Lemonade: An Engineering Process that Creates Opportunity

From time to time, things don’t go according to plan. And the world of OEM contract manufacturing is no exception, even for manufacturers who calibrate their engineering process to run smoothly and predictably.

Sometimes, due to outside factors, change during a project is inevitable. Changes can lead to anything from a slight adjustment of a project’s timeline to a significant redesign and reengineering of the customer’s equipment. Many might see this as a real disadvantage or at least as a roadblock to getting the job done.

In this blog, we’re going to take a look at how the engineering process can create unexpected avenues to redesign equipment and make the equipment run better, increase durability and exceed the customer’s expectations.

Recent Challenges in the Manufacturing Sector

In manufacturing, businesses always seek to calibrate their operations to peak efficiency. But no company is an island. We operate as part of a more extensive network that is dependent on several factors that include but is not limited to:

• Major events such as the recent pandemic
• Job market trends and the availability of skilled workers
• Global supply networks
• Shipping and distribution of raw and manufactured goods
• Consumer demand
• Economic and political trends

These are just a few factors that can affect even the most insulated companies. And things in manufacturing are only going to become more complicated. In fact, many manufacturers predict that challenges to the manufacturing sector will only grow as we become more globally connected.

But where there are challenges, there are also opportunities.

Turning Roadblocks into Endless Possibilities

What are the fundamentals of an engineering process that can turn lemons into lemonade? It often comes down to perspective and looking into past difficulties to see unexpected openings. Once identified, it takes the agility and technical capacity of the engineering team to turn those opportunities into a reality.

This is how a manufacturer’s team of engineers can be the difference between disruption and opportunity. Depending on the team, disruption can give way to the chance to develop solutions that improve the build and function of a project in unique and unexpected ways.

Examples of our Engineering Process

In our recent project, Anderson Dahlen’s build and shipment of high-pressure vacuum equipment for LIGO Lab at CalTech, we detailed some of the redesigns that put our engineering process to the test. This project was not dissimilar from our other projects in that, from start to finish, we were presented with several opportunities to pivot our strategy, draft new and better plans, and engineer dynamic solutions that made the project an incredible success.

One notable benefit of this process is the chance to work closely with our customers every step of the way. By including our customers in our engineering process, we accomplish a higher level of fabrication together. This is not an insignificant detail.

In a recent interview with Kaushik Das, Director of Engineering at Anderson Dahlen, he revealed that working in tandem with customers helps them better understand the needed changes to their equipment and what purpose they serve. Nobody has a perspective like theirs, and few others know their industry as well. So, their contribution becomes a vital component of Anderson Dahlen’s engineering process.

Be Part of Our Engineering Process

Manufacturing is and will continue to be an ever-changing industry with many known challenges and many unknown ones, but we can plan for what we know. And for those unexpected challenges, we’ll rely on an engineering process that empowers our team to jump in, roll up their sleeves, and make things better.

Our engineers have a unique perspective that enables them to create unexpected solutions and strive to make things better. Their engineering process has helped make Anderson Dahlen a profitable, growing organization with job opportunities that enhance the quality of life for everyone involved. Interested in learning more? Contact Anderson Dahlen today.