We’ve all heard of the phrase ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ which applies to all walks of life. Preparation is essential for any project and if you don’t implement an effective strategy before you begin a project, the likelihood is that you will encounter challenges, which is why a proactive approach is imperative.
Having a proactive approach to your materials strategy will pay dividends in the long run. When it comes to the selection of quality components that are vital for the smooth running of your equipment, can your engineers really afford to leave the sourcing of spare parts until something has broken?
A reactive materials strategy harms your brand resilience
In any business, there are many drawbacks to leaving things until the last minute, none of which would be a problem for companies that have a proactive strategy. When you need an urgent solution, it is less likely to be the best solution.
By only being reactive, you risk:
- Delaying production - when components get damaged or break, there will be an inevitable knock on effect on your production, either slowing it down or bringing the system to a complete halt. Downtime can be massively expensive in terms of emergency repairs, lost business, under-utilised manpower and brand reputation.
- Increasing costs - Emergencies can cost you dearly. Not only is it likely that you’ll be charged an emergency call out fee, you also risk paying a premium on any spare parts that need sourcing quickly, as well as the cost of their urgent delivery. Sourcing spare parts reactively could also result in unsuitable components that may have an adverse impact on the efficiency of your technology and, because they weren’t 100% suitable for the job, may fail at a later date, necessitating another expensive emergency repair.
- Damaging your brand - Delays aren’t just frustrating for you and your engineers, they will also have a knock on effect on your customers which could lead to a drop in goodwill and trust.
Proactive strategies for success
Implementing a proactive engineering materials strategy will result in high spec, high quality components, the best materials for the job in hand, equipment resilience, great working relationships with suppliers and, ultimately, a great ROI.
When your engineers have the time to research the best suppliers and negotiate the best terms, you can guarantee fewer material vulnerabilities and greater resilience, decreasing the risk of breakdown.
Proactive strategies lead to:
- Risk mitigation - By sourcing exactly the right materials needed for the parts, you will reduce inefficiencies and the risk of damage which will result in expensive production delays.
- Reliability - When you have been proactive in your choice of supplier, you already know you’ll be able to rely on them whenever you need them.
- Quicker delivery - When you have a good relationship with reliable partner suppliers who already understand your needs, ordering spare parts is quick and easy. Being able to get hold of parts more quickly in the event of an emergency keeps expensive production delays to a minimum.
- Scalability - When you’re proactive rather than reactive in sourcing a supplier, you can take scalability into account by ensuring they have the capacity to continue being your supplier when you grow the business, providing a great end-to-end scalable solution that evolves with your product and performance needs.
Why choose AFT Fluorotec as your materials supplier
We specialise in engineering polymers and have been creating high quality, sustainable solutions for clients for nearly 40 years. Our knowledge and industry expertise allows us to specialise in a range of materials, including PEEK and over 500 grades of PTFE. We understand the importance of collaboration which is why our team of engineers will work with you to make sure they understand not just the job the material is needed for, but also what your industry challenges are before matching or blending the best materials for your exacting needs. For example, some of our clients require parts suitable for extremely hostile environments, e.g. those working in the aerospace, and oil and gas sectors.
We also specialise in plastic CNC milling, and have invested in high tech machinery that enables our engineers to mill components to extremely tight tolerances. The high quality of workmanship is guaranteed by ISO 9001 certification.
Sustainability is an important part of our business ethic, as demonstrated by our ISO 14001 certification. We are always striving to find ways of reducing our carbon footprint, however small, but our biggest investment yet has been the installation of solar panels at our headquarters in 2024.
Contact us today
If you are looking for a new supplier with whom you can build a proactive materials relationship with, call us on 01992 935259 to find out more and arrange to meet.
| Reactive Approach | Proactive Materials Strategy | |
|---|---|---|
| Material selection | Chosen late in the process | Integrated from early design phase, developing the best materials for the criteria |
| Supplier relationships | Transactional, short-term | Collaborative, development-focused |
| Issue handling | After failures occur | Predictive testing, analysis and risk management help avoid failures |
| Performance | Tends to only meet minimum specs | Components will exceed spec, built for end-use |
| Costs | High due to redesigns/failures | Controlled through smart planning offering the best value for money |
