When Reata Engineering begins work on a new part or when an existing part or process changes, we hold a “new part meeting” that includes multiple department heads within the company.
These “new part meetings”, as we call them, bring together our entire team—quality, estimating, production, engineering, programming, and management—to review the new part (or the changes) and ensure everyone is on the same page going forward.
Taking time out of everyone’s day might seem excessive, but these meetings are critical to ensuring our production process is seamless and error-free.
Here’s what happens during new part meetings and how they benefit you:
The Purpose of New Part Meetings at Our Precision Machine Shop
Our new part meetings are crucial to our precision machine shop’s lean, efficient, and compliant manufacturing. Plus, we mitigate potential risks on the front end and reduce delays, waste, and non-conforming parts.
Here are the three primary reasons the Reata team holds a new part meeting:
- A customer orders a new part
- A customer sends us a part revision
- A part undergoes an internal process change
Stages of review during new part meetings
During new part meetings, we review key aspects of each part’s production. We review parts in their entirety, including materials used, processes involved, machining needs, special tooling, inspection requirements, and packaging instructions. For instance, it’s not uncommon for plating specifications to be unclear, and these meetings allow us to identify something like that and get the answers we need.
Departments also have the opportunity to raise concerns and troubleshoot them with the whole shop. Bringing our entire contract manufacturing team into one room mitigates the risk of communication issues and enables us to consider solutions from every angle.
We thoroughly review the customer’s purchase order, including terms and conditions, special requests, and specific requirements such as ITAR, plating certifications, and government ratings. The whole team walks away from a part meeting knowing the details of the customer’s unique requirements.
How Customers Benefit From Our New Part Meetings
When our entire precision machine shop is aligned on a part’s production, customers receive precisely what they ordered in the most efficient way possible.
Our team agrees on the optimal process and machines to use for production with input from our machinists. This way, we produce parts exactly as the customer intended—no redos necessary.
Also, there are no gray areas during production. We clear up inconsistencies or confusion before production begins, mitigating the risk of non-conforming parts, waste, and delays later.
These meetings also offer a chance to collaborate with our customers. Our engineers and machinists often identify potential cost savings or design optimizations that they will then share.
Ultimately, new part meetings enhance efficiency, lean manufacturing, and final part quality. Customers see reduced costs and faster delivery times, reinforcing our customer-centered business model.
Why Reata’s new part meetings stand out
We know we’re not the only precision machine shop that holds new part meetings. Our differentiator is our in-depth, comprehensive approach that brings our entire precision machine shop together. We go above and beyond to cover all our bases and reduce the risk of missed requirements or unexpected issues that might delay part orders for our customers.
Anyone who’s worked with us before knows new part meetings are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to taking the best care of our customers.
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