Bye Bye Build-To-Print
One particular article in this issue really got me thinking about our industry and how we cover it at Wiring Harness News. It’s nothing earth shattering, just a decent little article on cable jacketing material for EV charging stations (page 28). Back in the 90’s when I was working for a supplier/advertiser, I don’t think you would have seen such an article on these pages. It would have been far too esoteric for the mostly build-to-print harness manufacturers of the day. But things have changed. What is expected of you as manufacturers has changed immensely.
Ours is far from a strictly build-to-print industry. Instead, your customers are relying on you to look upstream to help specify materials that will perform well in their products once they are in the field. They don’t necessarily have the level of engineering expertise they did in the past. Hence, they rely on you for help with not just manufacturability, but also performance and reliability. And boy, have you met the challenge! (Just another reason I brag about you folks to my friends in other industries.) It seems logical this trend will continue.
This need seems especially true in the eMobility sector. There are many fledgling companies who are desperately seeking a harness and cable assembly supplier to give them advice, assistance and expertise in producing designs. We’ll continue to report on that sector for you.
It’s our goal to help you develop the tools you need to be a top performer for your customers in all industries. Feel free to email or call me with any ideas on subjects you would like to see us cover. As always, we hope you think of us as your research arm.
Keep plugging away!
Joe Tito
407-739-9811
