As a purchasing agent or buyer, your job is make sure the right materials are bought for your company at the right price. When it comes to office supplies and other sundries, this isn’t necessarily the most difficult thing to do, but when you’re dealing with ordering a wire harness, though, you’re having to do more than just make sure that the office supply closet is stocked.
Wire harnesses often serve as the lifeblood of the machinery that keeps companies operating day to day. Depending on the industry, the machinery in question can’t afford to be down for any length of time, which means that any issue affecting the wire harnesses contained within need to be handled in as efficient a manner as possible so as to not disrupt business. You understand the need to get the right materials in place, but you need to keep in mind one very important detail — what kind of budget are you working with?
The biggest rookie mistake many purchasing agents make when it comes to ordering materials is jumping right into the process without knowing just how much money they can work with. One other factor to keep in mind is that the majority of companies prefer if a budget is not only maintained that one is able to accomplish the job with money left over. Navigating between these two areas isn’t easy and certainly not for the faint of heart.
If you’re a purchasing agent whose next big assignment is determining the best way to go about ordering wire harness for your company, the best bit of advice you can heed is this — don’t depend on the manufacturer to do everything, especially when it comes to maintaining your budget.
We often feel that as customers, we can just sit back while customer service is bestowed upon us. This is not the way to get things done right. That’s the key. You want to be sure that your company’s wire harness needs are handled correctly from the word ‘go’. In order to do this, you need to be an active part of the process. Here are some of the things you need to be involved in:
Providing Detailed Specs — Nothing makes things more streamlined than having details in place from the start. This is especially nice when it comes to custom orders.
Learn From Previous Mistakes — If your current wire harnesses aren’t getting the job done or you just don’t have a wire harness solution in place, then it’s time to come clean. Acknowledging this allows the design process for new material to better understand how best to fix existing issues.
Understand Your Turnaround Time for Materials — Getting materials out quickly can make cost go up, so knowing when you need things will make it easier to find out which manufacturers can’t deliver.
Plan for Future Updates & Upgrades — You’re trying to fix a current problem, but technology is constantly changing. Does it make more sense to just handle a current issue or invest in a solution that could account for changes years down the road with an investment now?
Don’t underestimate the cost-effectiveness & convenience of finding a experienced, reputable manufacturer of wire harness who can also provide other services spanning design to production run for your materials.
Reach out to LoDan Electronics, Inc. about your next wire harness project, and request a quote or have a technical specialist contact you.