Depending on your point of view and the product in question, fast turnaround means different things to different people. It is all about an individual’s perception. How quickly the product is required is usually driven by the end customer. It could be a young lad wanting a PlayStation for Christmas, a surgeon waiting for more blood plasma at the operating table, or a PCB for a missile tracking system.
The Customer’s expectation
Is fast turnaround measured in hours, days, weeks or even months? It all depends on the size, and/or, complexity of the product. How much is the customer prepared to pay to receive the product they want, when they want it? The cost is largely dictated by the time needed to complete the job and must be acceptable to the customer.
Grease the rails.
To achieve the fastest turnaround you need to know the key attributes of your supply chain, reduce the waiting time between operations to a minimum, and remove any potential bottle necks to avoid unnecessary delays.
But Fast Turnaround comes at a price.
With fast turnaround there is always a cost implication. Getting the speed verses cost right is a fine balance. You could say there is no cost too high to save a person’s life, but does it matter if the young lad does not get his PlayStation until after Christmas.
Jump! How high?
We are highly flexible in our working practices to accommodate fast turnaround builds at very short notice. When we are asked to jump, our response is “how high?”. Our critical path is sourcing the materials required for the job in the timescales that they are needed, but with our vast knowledge gained through years of experience we know where, and even more importantly who, the right person is that can make it happen.
