With the coronavirus interrupting supply chains the world over, it comes as no surprise that many companies that offshored their production over the past several decades are thinking about bringing at least some of their manufacturing back to the United States in order to avoid disruptions from disease, natural disasters, or political instability. Of course, this is no small task, which is why we’ve put our many years of manufacturing knowledge to good use here at Swistek and created this brief guide to help you figure out what it is you need to bring manufacturing back to America.
Location, Location, Location
The first thing that a company needs to bring their manufacturing back to the United States is a space to actually house their CNC machines, raw materials, and staff. The space that a company needs depends on several factors including: how big the parts being made are, how many parts are needed on a monthly basis, the amount of raw material needed to make the parts, and the style of machine needed to actually produce the parts. Most machines also need industrial outlets and access to pressurized air, which means that spaces will need those resources available. The area needed to begin manufacturing parts here in America can vary between a space as large as a residential garage to tens of thousands of square feet. It all depends on the parts being brought back to be manufactured in America.
The Right Person for the Job
The next thing a company needs to consider when bringing their manufacturing back to the United States is staff. CNC machines, while capable of a great deal of automation, don’t entirely run themselves. A company needs applications engineers, programmers, machine techs, and quality control staff to make sure the operation runs smoothly from beginning to end. While it may be an additional cost to bring on this staff, the stability and security that having a local supply of parts and material makes it all worthwhile in times where supply chains across long geographical distances as companies will be able to provide reliable service to all of their customers that their competition may not be able to match.
The Right Machines
The last thing that a company needs to bring their manufacturing back is a no-brainer: machines that manufacture the parts. The unique demands of the part being made will dictate what machine is needed. Each machine will likely need a barfeeder as well in order to streamline the production process and allow for automated machining. Of course, finding and selecting the correct machine for a job is no small task on its own. That’s why we’re happy to offer advice and put our decades of experience to help your company bring manufacturing back to America, which will shorten your supply chain and allow you to get products to customers faster.
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