5 Ways JAKTOOL is Delivering Competitive Advantages to Their Clients

Rethinking Manufacturing

Struggling to get your idea off the ground? Striving to develop your idea into a proof of principle prototype? JAKTOOL possesses the resources you need to mature your concept into a commercial quality, proof of principle prototype.

JAKTOOL has grown over 25 years into one of the Northeast’s premier product development, engineering and precision prototyping companies on the merits of passion, talent and dedication. JAKTOOL operations run with client expectations at its core, delivering competitive advantages to clients by means of accelerated speed to market.

As a prospective client, you might be thinking to yourself, JAKTOOL sounds great in theory but promises of dedication and talent aren’t enough to proceed with a collaboration. You want proof; you want the lowdown on our methods and tactics. Allow me to be your guide, to ask the questions for you and acquire the answers you’re looking for.

Throughout this 5-part blog series, I will touch on 5 ways JAKTOOL is delivering competitive advantages by the application of

  • Collaborative Engineering
  • Innovative Design
  • Quality Management
  • Strategy & Execution
  • Design Transfer

As an outsider to the world of prototyping, I admit, I am not the most qualified person to communicate our engineering processes but fortunately, I know just the person to talk to. Ryan, an eight-year veteran of JAKTOOL and our facility’s Engineering Manager of Manufacturing & Process Development, leads in-house prototype efforts through the management of in-house manufacturing engineers. I sat down with him, to discuss collaborative engineering and how JAKTOOL is using this approach to advance speed to market.

Communication plays a vital role in effective relationships. Whether it be internal, with a client or with a supplier, it’s fundamental to company success.

Internally, JAKTOOL is a one-stop-shop for design, system-level engineering and prototyping. The design, manufacturing, quality control and procurement departments work under the same roof reducing layover time between each phase. At times, JAKTOOL is the only company that will provide clients with a quote for high fidelity prototypes as other companies lack the skill set required. Every engineer employed at JAKTOOL is equipped with the qualifications needed to do every aspect of the job. Our Prototype Manufacturing Department can spec out material and tooling for a print and perform an inspection to ensure the part is conforming. This decreases the chance for miscommunication and speeds up the production process.

On a side note, as a “rookie engineer”, there were terminologies communicated in our conversation that required further explanation for my enlightenment. Conformance testing was one of those terminologies. What does the process look like? How does one know if the part will meet expectations? Ryan explained several of JAKTOOL’s methods to ensure compliance.

The Prototype Manufacturing Department fits mating parts together to confirm compliance with the defined standards. Some clients require further testing, calling for 100%-dimension inspection through JAK

TOOL’s QC Department where CMMS machines, Vision Systems, Universal Test Machines and other custom specialized equipment inspect the parts for validation. The results are then analyzed and confirmed. More information on this process to come in part 4 of the series.

JAKTOOL’s engineers and project managers are in constant communication with their clients. Every job has a precise timeline for delivery and completion with weekly, sometimes daily, status updates and unlimited design input. JAKTOOL has the valuable ability to work to different levels of quality requirements. Some projects require customer prints, others JAKTOOL prints while another might entail model-based definition and critical interfaces or performance requirements. Every project is slightly different but with continuous input from the client, it’s all achievable. Through an open line of communication, JAKTOOL is able to work with the client to create custom customer dimensions while cutting costs and saving time.

With the application of new technologies and the implementation of best business practices, JAKTOOL sustains its mission to deliver completive advantages to its clients. As the market grows increasingly competitive, JAKTOOL is utilizing partnerships with vetted suppliers to accelerate the development of prototypes and deliver them to clients more rapidly and efficiently with the same high level of quality.

Most recently, JAKTOOL connected with a client in need of manufacturing services to prototype a remote control for an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV). The client requested specific material properties concerning color, stiffness and fidelity. After conversing with the client to understand the criteria, JAKTOOL reached out to a reliable additive manufacturing supplier and provided them with the budget and timeline. An engineer’s role at JAKTOOL is comprised of many varying responsibilities. Besides being an engineer, employees are expected to act as a liaison between all moving parts of a project allowing for a smooth transfer of information between all involved parties. JAKTOOL worked with the supplier and the client to narrow down material selection and develop a strategy to determine which features were high-risk, requiring post-machining. Once the shell was completed, JAKTOOL was able to custom create fixturing and post machine the parts needed to complete the job. The engineers were able to compress a 32-week development cycle into 10 weeks due to JAKTOOL’s unique capability to simultaneously manufacture components while creating designs. With all departments under the same roof, JAKTOOL is able to provide clients with prototypes quicker than the industry standard.

As demands rise, engineering practices must adjust to sustain the increasingly exigent criteria. JAKTOOL is spearheading this undertaking, raising the bar on industry standards, through the application of all-in-one practices managed by experts in the field. These resources allow JAKTOOL to provide custom tooling and fixturing to their clients, cutting timelines in half and eliminating extra costs while preserving quality. However, even with an accomplished staff and first-rate resources, mistakes can be made through the smallest of communication errors. JAKTOOL ensures a clear and open communication line between each acting party, significantly proliferating chances of success.