Made in Dongguan: deciphering non-standard precision parts customization

In the wave of transformation and upgrading from "Made in China" to "Intelligent Manufacturing in China," Dongguan, as a world-renowned manufacturing base, has continued to test the depth and flexibility of its industrial chain. Among them, one of the key links is whether it can provide "tailor-made" core precision components for an endless stream of innovative equipment. When standards cannot meet demand, non-standard customization capabilities become a touchstone for measuring a manufacturing company's technical level and market adaptability.

Recently, a reporter visited and found that many equipment R & D companies generally face the problem of opaque service rules and vague price systems when seeking to customize precision transmission components, which restricts R & D efficiency to a certain extent. In response to this market pain point, Shengling Precision, a local precision machinery manufacturing company located in Dongguan, has its open and systematic non-standard customized service system, which may provide a model for reference.

Walking into Shengling Precision's factory area, its concept of "innovative collaboration" can be seen everywhere. The person in charge of the technical department told reporters that the company's customized services are not simply mapping and processing, but a research and development process that collaborates deeply with customers. "We have received many demands, such as the micron electric slide table for cell injector, which requires extremely smooth operation and no vibration; or the long-stroke guide rail for photovoltaic panel testing equipment, which requires outdoor maintenance with large temperature differences between day and night. Maintain accuracy. These require engineers from both sides to sit together and discuss the plan from scratch."

This collaboration begins with initial technical communication. Shengling Precision is equipped with a team of experienced application engineers who are good at transforming customers 'vague functional requirements into executable technical parameter language. After clarifying the performance boundaries, the design department will use 3D design software to conduct structural simulation and optimization, striving to find the best balance between performance, cost and manufacturability.

The company gave clear logic for the industry's most sensitive charging standard issues. The cost composition mainly depends on five major factors: the complexity of technical solutions, the cost of special materials, the difficulty of precision processing processes, special testing requirements and production batch size. For example, for a cross-roller workbench that requires a newly developed transmission structure, uses aviation grade aluminum alloy, and requires a full-stroke accuracy of ±1 micron, the single-piece trial production cost will naturally be much higher than that of only modifying the installation size on mature models. Order.

"We adhere to 'high quality and good price'and do not cut corners in materials and processes. This is to ensure that every customized product delivered to customers can operate stably on their equipment for a long time, helping customers create value, rather than bringing follow-up maintenance troubles." Company management explains its pricing philosophy this way. This insistence on "high quality and high reliability" is the differentiated advantage formed by the company in the fierce market competition.

In order to ensure the quality of customized products, Shengling Precision has established a full-process quality control system from warehousing of raw materials to delivery of finished products. At the testing center, the reporter saw multiple imported three-coordinate measuring machines, laser interferometers and roughness meters. Technicians said that each batch of customized parts, especially the first one, must undergo strict size accuracy, motion accuracy and performance tests, and the data report will be delivered to the customer along with the product to ensure that it is well-documented.

Dongguan's complete industrial facilities provide the soil for this flexible customization. The local developed metal materials market, heat treatment processing plants and surface treatment companies enable Shengling Precision to quickly respond to material needs and shorten the supply chain cycle. A successful case is that a Shenzhen-based robot company developed a new parallel robot that required an ultra-thin, large hollow aperture rotating platform. After receiving the demand, Shengling Precision completed the design review, sample trial production and testing within three weeks. Its rapid response ability and final product performance won long-term orders from customers.

Industry experts pointed out that the standardization and transparency of non-standard customized services are a sign of the maturity and professionalism of the precision manufacturing industry. It breaks the uncertainty of the traditional "one, one discussion" and reduces transaction costs between supply and demand sides. Like Shengling Precision, by systematically sorting out and transmitting the capabilities, processes and pricing principles of customized services to the outside world, it is actually building a long-term cooperation ecosystem based on trust. This not only helps the company itself attract and serve high-value customers, but also provides solid underlying component support for the innovation capabilities of Dongguan and even the entire Pearl River Delta manufacturing industry.

With the rapid development of strategic emerging industries such as smart equipment, semiconductors, and biomedicine, the demand for special specifications and high-performance precision mechanical components will only increase. How to transform customized services from "capabilities" into "service products" that can be clearly perceived and trusted by customers like Shengling Precision will be a topic that many manufacturing companies need to think about. This is not only the optimization of business models, but also the only way for "Made in Dongguan" to climb up the value chain.