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Beyond Proof of Concept: How HARBEC Brings Design, Engineering and Manufacturing Value to Every Part and Project
In September, HARBEC, Inc. proudly celebrates its 39th year in business. We begin by thanking our employees, some who have been with us since day one, for continually evolving, and building a better business and better future in our community. We also graciously thank our customers, suppliers, and service providers who have been mutual partners in HARBEC’s evolution.
For a company that began as a tool and die shop, a great deal has changed in nearly four decades of service. HARBEC’s business resiliency has been enabled by its founder, Bob Bechtold, and the code of conduct for continuous improvement he’s instilled within the business culture. In forty years of business, HARBEC has remained agile, competitive and innovative as it has evolved to serve the needs of its customers, new and old.
Today, HARBEC, Inc. has three principle business units including CNC Machining, Custom Injection Molding, and Rapid Prototyping. Since its inception HARBEC was a trusted precision manufacturer, earning a reputation for paying very close attention to detail, and providing high value service, quality, and superior prototypes and parts. Further, HARBEC was viewed by its customers as a “solutions provider,” a partner that proactively pursued ways to do things faster, better, and at lower cost.That commitment is alive today, particularly as the digital revolution transforms the foundation by which products are designed, developed, and manufactured.
According to Mr. David Anderson, author of "Design for Manufacturability: How to Use Concurrent Engineering to Rapidly Develop Low-Cost, High-Quality Products for Lean Production", Design for manufacturability (DFM) is “the process of proactively designing products to (1) optimize all the manufacturing functions: fabrication, assembly, test, procurement, shipping, delivery, service, and repair, and (2) assure the best cost, quality, reliability, regulatory compliance, safety, time-to-market, and customer satisfaction.” Further, Mr. Anderson defines Concurrent Engineering as “the practice of concurrently developing products and their manufacturing processes. If existing processes are to be utilized, then the product must be designed for these processes. If new processes are to be utilized, then the product and the process must be developed concurrently.”
Here at HARBEC, we’ve been practicing DFM and concurrent engineering for decades. Under our own branded nomenclature, Quick Manufacturing Solutions (QMS). Before the ‘maker movement’ became en vogue, characterized by the next generation of industrial designers and inventors, HARBEC was actively servicing its customers as an innovation, DFM, and production house. Like the agile maker movement, HARBEC has embraced digital and software tools, 3D printing, machine learning, and robotics into our operations. What’s more, HARBEC has continuously moved the ticker on innovation, working to improve every process, from design through manufacturing, by integrating our knowledge and experience gathered from forty years of manufacturing excellence.
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3 Ways Today’s Inventors Have it Easier Than Henry Ford
When people say “inventor,” pioneers like Edison or Bell invariably come to mind. But invention and innovation are around us every day, producing products that change and improve the way we live. The modern day equivalent of the Wright Brothers exist through the likes of Elon Musk and Larry Page. While the internal combustion engine was all the rage a century ago, 2008 gave us a peek at the first mass-produced highway-capable all-electric vehicle.
In other words, innovation never stops.
But the process of moving from concept to commercialization is vastly different today than the path taken by legendary entrepreneurs like Henry Ford. Today’s inventors benefit from a digital economy that offers tools their predecessors simply did not have. These tools serve to reduce the time, cost and risk of commercializing a new product. Additionally, they can increase collaboration and improve the overall chance for product success.
Modern inventors are not free from challenges, however, with 50 percent of new businesses failing within five years. But, despite these risks and complications, three game-changing improvements in the concept-to-commercialization process have given today’s inventors a clearer path to success than Mr. Ford ever had.
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