Case Study: Turning Custom Designs Into Real Products
Client
Athletic apparel company
Problem
The customer had defined an idea for a custom storage cart for their office but had nobody to produce it.
Solution
The supplier and OMT-Veyhl collaborated on the designs and mockups to make the customer’s wish list a reality.
Summary
A strong supplier + customer partnership, expert engineering teams, and a variety of in-house manufacturing capabilities enabled this customer’s ideas for a custom-designed storage cart to become reality.
Introduction
When an athletic apparel company wanted a custom-made, unique storage cart for their offices, their supplier knew it was going to take more than your average relationship, but instead, a true partnership with a manufacturer to make it happen.
“It was a unique request because it was something totally new and different. We had no standard product to jump off,” said the supplier’s fulfillment team.
Choosing OMT-Veyhl
The customer created a first draft of the product with a wish-list of design requirements – the only piece missing was who was going to make it and how they were going to do it.
The supplier had a longstanding, trusted relationship with OMT-Veyhl, so they were already aware of their in-house fabrication, powder coat, and assembly capabilities, as well as their ability to accommodate the purchase components.
They approached OMT-Veyhl with the request, and the team got to work.
The Process
Both companies collaborated and worked closely on the design, which OMT-Veyhl then created a mock-up for. The team learned from that and OMT-Veyhl suggested changes for smoother manufacturing and cost savings.
“They did a prototypical build first, then a second build, which we were able to refine small details from. Then without request, OMT-Veyhl did another build internally to verify their facility was ready, which was awesome. It made us confident in their capacity and their systems.”
“Timing is among the most important elements. Being able to have the discussion early on, getting that response back that OMT-Veyhl can support it, and knowing we can trust in that and sell that to the customer is crucial..”
The final design satisfied all of the requirements – the product felt industrial, included the requested perforated metal shelf on top, and functioned smoothly with the laminate doors.
“The team had to figure out how to make it look clean and hide the weld. The engineering teams worked together to implement design elements, such as having the perforated metal sheets stick into the tube for support – reducing welding and cost requirements.”
OMT-Veyhl used its advantage of housing a wide variety of capabilities to complete this project, including hand laser welding, complex bending programs, and flexibility required for unique solutions.
The complexity of this design also required OMT-Veyhl to support a mixed material project and buying the laminate front.
“It was helpful to have one final product versus handling two separate components on our own.”
Dedicated to Custom Solutions
Notably, OMT-Veyhl has a team dedicated to custom solutions, which allows engineers, sales, and purchasing to focus directly on these unique projects. Not only are solutions creative and partnerships are effective, but the process is efficient.
A typical 18-month industry-standard lead time is often shortened to just 12-16 weeks.
“Timing is among the most important elements. Being able to have the discussion early on, getting that response back that OMT-Veyhl can support it, and knowing we can trust in that and sell that to the customer is crucial.”
Partnership
During the custom project, both OMT-Veyhl and the customer were able to align their processes.
“It’s really helpful to be able to have conversations about what OMT-Veyhl needs from our team to be successful, and it really helped us grow and define our internal processes as well.”
