<img height="1" width="1" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=163851757554412&amp;ev=PageView &amp;noscript=1">

New Product Introduction In China

Support for your new product introduction process (‘PPAP’ in the Auto Industry)

We Provide NPI Support in the Following Locations

cmc-locations-map

Are you planning to launch production of a customized product in a China factory? There are many ways this project can get derailed, resulting in long delays and significant cost overruns.

Manufacturing Industries We Serve

line-arrangement

What type of new product introduction process is appropriate?

The more “new and untested” the new product design is, the more ambitious your project, and consequently the more help you and your supplier will need. This first step will influence the approach of all subsequent steps.

Learn more about Apple's successful NPI process here.

supplier

Supplier selection

Can you use one of your existing suppliers, and how much will they need to adapt their processes? Or do you need to search for a new supplier, and in that case what criteria should you be looking at? Our consultants can help evaluate the risks related to potential suppliers.

In case you are working in a new company starting to manufacture in China, we cannot over-emphasize the importance of suppliers and sub-suppliers — they are probably the main cause of new product introduction delays.

going-live

Line arrangement

Let’s say you have selected a main supplier that will take care of some fabrication/machining as well as assembly and testing. Have they set up their processes in a way that will make it easy to reach your quantity and quality requirements? Maybe they have not dedicated some lines to your new product — in that case, will this cause issues? We can assess their line setup and provide suggestions for improvement.

employee-training

Employee Training

If your product is different from what the factory usually manufactures in at least one significant way, the people who will work on your product need to get some training.

This is an area most Chinese manufacturers tend to overlook, and it has serious implications at the time of production launch. The reason is, factory management doesn’t want to slow down their regular production schedule. But there are easy ways to get workers trained, for example on a small NPI line on the side.

testing-the-process

Testing the processes

Making a few pre-production samples does not uncover all the issues that you will face once mass production is launched. One of the steps of the PPAP (Production Part Approval Process — an approach very common in the auto industry) is to force the line to “run at rate” for a certain time. It is the only way to find many of the issues that might affect mass production and to fix them without delaying the first shipment.

This post explains how a strong PPAP process can cut months from development in China.

new-product-introduction-process

Going live

There are several ways to “go live”. Depending on the complexity of the product, production rate might have to be ramped up progressively and special measures might have to taken in order to ensure quality is good.

If steps 1 to 5 were done right, step 6 should take place at the expected timing and should not uncover serious issues. It means that following the process we outlined above is the best way to get your new product made in China and launched with favorable results.

Ready to Set Up Your New Factory in China?

Speak with experienced manufacturing consultants for a no-strings discussion about your project.