Compass Made designers use Zuken to deliver speed, accuracy, and cost effectiveness to our clients.
In the 40-plus years that Compass has been involved in contract manufacturing, we’ve learned that our clients have a common set of issues when they set out to execute a project: speed, quality, and cost accuracy.
We’ve found many ways to help solve those problems over the years. One of the most important and useful came in 2013 when we integrated a software program called Zuken into our process.
Zuken is designed to support an end-to-end product development process. The tool is used to aid PCB (printed circuit board) and electrical and wire harness design, as well as manage design data. It’s being used at an assortment of companies, including NASA, Ford, and Intel.
In March of 2000, Zuken introduced a wire harness design environment for the automotive industry. The E3.series is used for the design of wiring and control systems, hydraulics and pneumatics. Integrated with MCAD, E3.series is a complete design engineering solution from concept through physical realization and manufacturing output.
At its very core, what Zuken does is make design and manufacturing smart.
Compass Made is working with clients to incorporate Zuken into all of the company’s projects. Here’s why:
Speed to Prototype
When working on a new design “in the old days,” it could take up to eight weeks to deliver a prototype. The project would go from engineering to quoting to procurement to set-up to manufacturing. That’s a long time for clients to wait to see if their ideas would work.
By tapping the power of Zuken, we’ve cut that timeframe to two or three weeks.
Answering client RFQs with Zuken — creating a bill of materials (BOM), labor estimates, tooling and components determinations, and final quoting — is done in less than a week.
After an approved purchase order is received, every piece of the procurement, set-up, and manufacturing operation is expedited for speedier delivery.
Quality Assurance
Bringing new projects into Zuken adds a layer of quality assurance to every project in addition to our experienced assembly team and Plug One Test One process.
The Zuken software tracks wire gauges, components, and connectors and corrects any issues to ensure accuracy at assembly.
Additionally, Zuken calls out wire lengths and crimping details before those materials are delivered to assemblers so that those technicians can concentrate on building harnesses and not fixing things on the manufacturing floor.
While the first run of any project benefits from Zuken, clients are reporting better quality products and faster delivery the next time because errors have been corrected and designs improved within the software.
Faster + Accurate Quotes
Soon clients who are designing in Zuken will be able to interface with Compass Made’s ERP to determine what materials the company has in stock and how much the client can expect to pay.
Early and precise quotes offer clients transparency into the process as well as the ability to budget and plan better throughout the year.
Further, Zuken enables an easy BOM export tool that gives our estimators better information for more accurate and faster quotes.
Knowledge is Power
The Compass Made team has been working in Zuken for six years now. We’ve developed a library of product designs that provide industry-specific insights into design and manufacturing. Many of our competitors lack that level of expertise and perspective. We continue to expand our library, and we’re committed to using our knowledge to help our clients. After all, if we don’t learn together than we’ll be stuck in the past.
Keep an eye on this space as we showcase client stories about how they are saving time and money throughout the production cycle with Zuken.
