You have a specific production process, but can’t find a standard piece of equipment on the market that will meet your requirements, or even do what you need it to do.
At least, there isn’t a machine out there yet.
Custom industrial machine builders are experts at manufacturing equipment to create production processes that didn’t exist before. When you need heavy-duty custom production machines for a specific application, you turn to a custom machine builder, like West Engineering.
But how do you know which one to choose? There are many different builders out there and choosing the right one from the start is very important. We’re here to help you know what to look for.
What should you look for?
The first thing you should consider is obviously, can they build what you need? Not all machine builders have the same experience and capabilities. Many are specialized to one industry, while others have experience building machinery for a variety of industries. You’ll want to make sure that the builder you choose knows your industry, and the standards that your equipment needs to comply with.
There are a few other key things to consider as well, and one of the most important of those is communication.
Communication
Even though people throw this word around a lot, communication is the one thing that underlies almost every part of the building process. Not only does the builder need to understand what you are communicating to them–for instance, what the equipment needs to accomplish–but they also should communicate well with their team to make sure that it does what you need it to do.
If the builder does not communicate well, then that will slow down the production process and may end up causing you more stress, even if they’re an excellent builder. They should be transparent about the time the build will take, how much it will cost, if there is a possibility for any extra costs, and so on.
Time
This is another concept that tends to be underestimated, but is incredibly important. By time, we mean overall production time. A lot of time does go into any custom machine build, but the amount of time spent on it can be reduced without sacrificing the quality of the machine if the builder is strategic.
One of those ways is by keeping most or all of the production in-house. If the builder is able to manufacture all, or nearly all parts of the machine within their own facility, then they’ll save themselves, and you, a lot of time (and money) that would have been spent on outsourcing those parts.
Quality
Every good custom machine builder will place a high value on quality. They will choose the materials they use in the build with care, and they’ll perform quality checks throughout the entire process. That includes the very beginning stages, like design and planning, as well as the final delivery and cleaning of the machine. Not only that, but a good custom machine builder should also be open to improvement, investing in the latest technology and educating their team.
Quality is a concept that should be found throughout the project, from the design of the build, to the education of the people working on the build, and even through to the delivery of the final product.
Looking for a quality custom industrial machine builder?
West Engineering has over a century of expert engineering and machine building experience for the most complex projects. We know that you need more than just machining services–you need someone able to provide the comprehensive service that your project requires. We are a single-source option, with everything you need from prototype to production and beyond under one roof. Check out our website for more information.