Simplifying the supply chain is a key goal for many OEMs today. F’real foods, a frozen blended beverage company that sells milkshakes, smoothies and frozen cappuccinos to convenience stores, is an excellent example. When f’real wanted to get to market quickly with their “Next Generation” blender, they chose Mack as their manufacturing arm to simplify their supply chain.
F’real’s new blender, the first with an automated cleaning and sanitizing process designed specifically for use in the retail environment, is a very complicated electro-mechanical device that weighs over 100 lbs, calls for more than 400 unique parts, and requires the integration of several manufacturing services. Mack worked through multiple pilot builds with f’real and managed numerous engineering changes to speed the product to market. Mack’s vertical integration provided upfront design-for-manufacturability studies for both plastics and metal; external gas-assist molding for the plastic skins; sheet metal fabrication; full product assembly; supply management for hundreds of parts from 63 suppliers; robust ISO-certified quality management systems; and distribution.
Mack’s design-for-manufacturability services are particularly important to consumer market customers looking to design cost out and boost volume up. For a commercial and residential flooring manufacturer, for example, Mack insert molds a laminate over a recycled PVC resin that forms an interlocking grid system for a moisture-resistant floor tile that installs easily over any sub-floor. The product has one of the highest recycled contents of any decorative flooring, is 100 percent recyclable, and because of its interlocking system, eliminates the need for adhesive, another environmental plus. But beyond Mack’s molding and processing expertise, the customer chose us because they needed not only a molder, but a technical manufacturing partner that could design the next-generation product for manufacturability, specify tooling , and realize the most cost-effective design for driving higher volumes and profits.
Sub-markets
- Furniture & flooring
- Lawn & garden
- Consumer electronics
- Food services
