Case Study: Saving 650 Hours on Needle Valve Assembly
The Challenge
As S&P 100 analytic instrument manufacturer was unsatisfied with the standard needle valves purchased from a third-party supplier. The valves’ poor performance required the OEM to conduct extensive, time-consuming modifications and testing.
The AFP Solution
The instrument manufacturer turned to AFP to produce a higher-quality, better performing needle valve. AFP worked with the OEM to design and build a custom product that was easier to adjust and achieved greater sensitivity. It also was less expensive to produce on AFP’s global manufacturing system.
The Results
The AFP product simplified the OEM’s assembly process by eliminating the need for modifications, testing, and classifying required by the previous needle valves. This saved the instrument manufacturer about 650 hours of labor on a 2,000-unit trial run. Based on an annual production forecast of 5,000 units, AFP saved the OEM about $XXX,XXX.