Solutions for agricultural machinery.
An all-round solution instead of several individual products.
A long-standing customer who produces agricultural machinery ordered two screws with a very similar design and product properties from us at short intervals. At Berrang, we have set ourselves the goal of being a reliable partner for our customers. This also includes constantly reviewing processes in order to reduce complexity. In a regular meeting, we asked our customer about it – and thus got a successful small parts optimization off the ground.
When it comes to fastening solutions, the correct design of the products based on customer-specific requirements is the be-all and end-all. Each screw must have specific properties in terms of strength, surface and material, and have a specific head shape and thread so that it can be optimally installed in the customer's application. But of course, there are also screws that are suitable for multiple uses.
The first step to the perfect solution: Identify customer needs precisely.
It is extremely important to recognize whether a customer needs one or more standardized components for his purposes or whether he needs a specially produced drawing part. When a customer approaches us with an enquiry, we first take sufficient time to check our customers' requirements before recommending or selling a particular solution .
Through our order processing system, we were able to determine that the customer had placed two orders of very similar screws in quick succession. Shortly after receiving the second order for an almost identical part, we realized the need to proactively approach our customer and inquire about their exact needs.
thanks to database evaluation – Recognizing standardization potentials.
In this case, what caught our attention? Or more specifically: Why did we ask ourselves whether our customer really needs two screws that differ only minimally? Our central database system, which analyzes every order received, put us on the right track. When evaluating the customer's order history and the parameters of the two screws, we wondered if a standardized product would not be sufficient for the customer for the various uses.
After extensive discussions, we determined together with our customer that the potential for standardization was actually there and even greater. The short, impressive result: 19 different screw types with four different head shapes as well as two strength classes, different surfaces and thread lengths could be replaced by just a single screw!
Fasteners are considered at the end of the development of a more complex component. And every designer has designed a screw at some point in his or her studies. So why should he search in a catalog when he can design a new screw much more easily? However, this does not eliminate the problems, but simply shifts them to other areas such as purchasing and logistics. If the designer involves us from the very beginning, we do exactly this work for him.