What is the difference between assembly and manufacturing?

Some people think that assembly and manufacturing are the same thing. It’s a common misconception. At Axenics, we perform both assembly and manufacturing, but there is a clear difference between the disciplines.

What is assembly?

Assembly encompasses the steps of constructing a finished product from components or partially-compiled units. Assembly results in assemblies and/or sub-assemblies that are ready for sale and or implementation by a customer.

What is manufacturing?

Manufacturing encompasses the process of production from raw or semi-raw materials through to a finished product ready for sale. One of the steps in manufacturing can include assembly, and need to manufacturing results in components that are ready for sale and or implementation by a customer.

As mentioned above, Axenics takes on both assembly and manufacturing jobs – and have been doing so for more than 35 years. Some company’s entire value add is strictly assembly, where they utilize vendors to supply all parts, and they are the assembler of said parts.

We find that it makes good business sense for Axenics to take on both assembly and manufacturing jobs, as our areas of expertise lend themselves better to a full production or parts of a production, depending on the final product.

When you should choose an assembly partner

Expanding production or adding a new product line are opportunities to utilize the experience of an assembly team that assists your growth. Your new project may require cleanroom space. We operate a Class 100 cleanroom, and many clients trust us to finalize assembly projects in that space.

A project arises that makes sense to add thermoplastics, be it manifolds, weldments or tube assemblies – and your in-house set up does not include plastics assembly. Axenics regularly takes on plastics assembly projects.

It’s essential to find a partner that shares your high expectations and delivers the highest-quality assembly services. Also, look for an assembly partner that offers testing services to make certain the quality of the assembled components or products are up to your standards.

When you should choose a manufacturing partner

Your expansion requires additional space and technicians, but this won’t be an ongoing project. Our cross-trained team often takes on complete manufacturing projects on the short- and long-term, wherever those needs arise. You have immediate access to state-of-the-art equipment and advanced manufacturing expertise of both metals and plastics, developed over 35-plus years. Choosing a manufacturing partner means you don’t need to spend the time and money to grow a team of experts and purchase the expensive equipment required to manufacture every product or component. A manufacturing partner gives you the freedom to utilize our skills and equipment.

We’ve all experienced the shift in market demands over the previous year. A challenge for original equipment manufacturers is that fluctuation in business. One day demand is high. The next it dips. A strong manufacturing partner brings balance to your production by meeting demands on a temporary basis without the requirement of investing in all the aspects required to increase production. When demand dips, you won’t have invested in facility space, equipment or technicians that sit idle.

A lean manufacturing partner is also a wise choice. We utilize a fully-integrated material requirements planning system for planning and inventory control to minimize wasted materials, space and time.

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