Industrial Design Blog

OEM’s

Posted by Michael Paloian on 20 June 2010 | 0 Comments

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I thought it would be appropriate to discuss how design can aid the rotational molding industry in attracting more OEMs to the benefits of this versatile manufacturing process. Typically the majority of molders and tool makers are introduced to OEMs after a design has been completed. Although this type of business growth is successfully attained with an aggressive sales and advertising campaign, it is reactive as opposed to proactive. In other words, growth is dependent upon the limited number of companies familiar with rotational molding and the designs they develop. However a proactive marketing strategy offers much more growth potential with significantly higher profits. This is because the potential customer base includes virtually any manufacturer and much less competition. The remainder of this editorial will discuss how design based marketing strategies can enable businesses such as yours to tap into this huge market potential.  

The concept for a proactive marketing strategy is quite simple. It is based on a few fundamental requirements listed below: 

  • Assess the advantages of your companies strengths and benefits of the rotational molding process
  • Identify existing or emerging markets which have traditionally been based on other manufacturing processes.
  • Understand the market, products, regulatory requirements and companies
  • Develop designs based on rotational molding that can cost effectively replace those processes with a better alternative.
  • Prepare convincing presentations which offer viable design alternatives and realistic cost/benefits comparisons based on rotational molding.
  • Don’t limit designs exclusively to rotational molding. Offer other materials and processes to complex assemblies if they are more suitable to the application.

Although some molders have successfully implemented such strategies based on these principles, most have not. Most molders are not properly staffed to assemble a convincing presentation. Programs such as this require careful long term planning and a commitment to market penetration. Even when molders have in-house designers, it is difficult for them to maintain an impartial overview of their sales pitch. Frequently molders tend to ignore true costs and advantages of combined alternative manufacturing methods, which lead to embarrassing surprises during a presentation.  

If molders can partner with outside reliable design resources, it will afford them an opportunity to formulate a cost effective well balanced presentation. Most independent design firms have extensive experience in numerous markets and manufacturing processes. This broad knowledge base enables them to develop rotationally molded design concepts which are advantageous to existing processes. In addition, independent design firms also understand the product and application. Molders tend to limit their thinking to molded parts as opposed to the product and its intended use. This critical distinction between product designers and molders is essential in developing a convincing presentation which would cause an OEM to change to rotational molding. 

A good design firm will also include staff which can develop attractive concept renditions and professional graphics for a slick presentation. Convincing cost data for tooling and parts in addition to attractive overall exploded views are essential for most complicated multipart products. Other factors that are typically of interest to most OEMs include regulatory requirements, color, load bearing capabilities and quality. 

When selecting markets, molders should look into those applications where the benefits of rotational molding are most significant. Those advantages typically include production of large complex parts with low cost tooling. These distinctive characteristics are most attractive when applications include large complex assemblies with high labor content. If rotationally molded design concepts illustrate aesthetically improved alternatives at much lower total cost and with better performance, the presentation will be very convincing.  

Next time your company conducts a long term sales planning meeting, think of partnering with a good independent design firm to implement a presentation such as the one suggested in this editorial. All of the progressive and highly successful molders in the industry are already familiar with these concepts. Their growth and success is based on these principles which should be more widely recognized by the rest of the molding community.