If you are in an industry that relies on machinery, no doubt you will be involved in the maintenance of this equipment, and this is no small task. Luckily, the machinery involved in all manner of industries relies on refined internal mechanisms, so maintenance can be fairly straight-forward. The wire harness has brought about a revolution in all industries needing a tidy solution to what can be a maddening chaos of cables & wires, but when you think about a wire harness, Mexico isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind.
As the direct southern neighbor to the United States, Mexico has made its impact on the way manufacturing takes place across the in this country. Having an international partner in such proximity has allowed a number of manufacturers in the U.S. to expand its reach to customers in need of their products whose primary concerns have been budgetary or production dates.
But even having an international manufacturing partner can have its drawbacks, and if a company isn’t careful to avoid certain pitfalls, the ability to be successful will be negatively impacted.
Here are five mistakes to avoid when building a wire harness in Mexico:
Language Barriers — Working with Mexico means that at some point, there will be a need to communicate in Spanish. Even if the representative operating between the stateside-based manufacturer & its Mexico-based facility can readily communicate, it is imperative that a difference in language doesn’t become a major problem. The idea of language also ends up being a matter of everyone in the process understanding the industry terminology.
Pre-Approval of Specs & Requesting Samples — Whenever a company is working with an international partner, it is vital that all specifications are always approved at all points in the process just to be sure everyone is on the same page. Also, as often as possible, it is key to obtain production samples in case there is a need to address any issues.
Parent Company in the States — Even though Mexico is seen as a gem in the manufacturing world, it is important that a company seeking wire harness builds works with a company that has a parent company based in the U.S. This helps ensure that the builds you are relying on have been done under the same guidelines & compliance regulations required in the U.S.
Budget — Even though establishing a budget isn’t really a problem for most companies seeking custom builds for their facilities, these budgets can sometimes forget to factor in the cost that may come with shipping materials either back to the ordering customer for approval or if there is a need for a final product to go elsewhere.
Production Dates — Manufacturers that establish facilities elsewhere, such as in Mexico, do so because there is greater proximity to customers. This actually leads to a quicker turnaround of materials being delivered. Though not necessarily exclusive to the manufacturing of wire harnesses in Mexico, it is still important to point out the need to fully establish production dates and lead times for materials at all points of the build process.
It is perhaps the most important to note that if you are working with a well-established harness & assemblies manufacturer based in the United States who also has a facility based south of the border, the wire harness Mexico can produce will be of incredible value, excellent quality, and will meet all of your necessary build requisite standards.
Visit LoDanElectronics.com for cost-effective wire harnesses in the U.S., Mexico, and Asia.