Assembly and Distribution

Kitting (Co-Packing) & Assembly

As companies expand their sales globally, they discover the need to factor local considerations into their final product offering. This can result in a proliferation of product varieties or SKUs (Stock Keeping Units). When this phenomenon is coupled with shorter and shorter product lifecycles, the challenge for companies is enormous. SerCom Solutions provides a variety of kitting (co-packing) services to a wide range of companies who address this challenge by carrying out assembly and other finalisation activities in a location close to their end customer.

Lost sales result from an inability to accurately forecast at SKU level coupled with no ability to customise products in direct response to real customer demand. Companies who fail to address this challenge suffer from increased costs of inventory, logistics and manufacturing while customer service levels deteriorate. This ultimately leads to diminished shareholder value.

At SerCom, we work with our customers to design a flexible supply chain that allows them to successfully respond to local demand. We source components and sub-assemblies in low cost locations. We then maintain this generic inventory in strategic locations globally and carry out product finalisation, or localisation, at facilities close to point of consumption. Our physical operations and staffing management processes are set up to be highly flexible with regard to volume ramp ups and downs. Where possible, we also automate production lines and this has provided significant savings for customers.

The level of complexity in our kitting activities varies significantly. SerCom's IT systems enable us to facilitate management of a comprehensive range of activities in multiple locations globally. Our mySAP ERP system has comprehensive shop floor control functionality. We can manage multiple shop order routings to ensure that product is processed correctly and in the appropriate sequence through various operations (e.g. assembly, software load, functional test). Production efficiency and capacity are managed on mySAP to ensure orders are planned effectively and processed on time through each operation. Product can be traced back to its component parts through the use of standard batch management functionality.

Work instructions are documented for each operation and operators are trained in relevant operations. Comprehensive training can, depending on the assembly operation required, take up to three weeks per operator.

Customer Bills of Material (BOMs) are controlled as part of master data on mySAP . BOM integrity is based on sound component data and rigid ECO (Engineering Change Order) management. The Engineering Department control at SerCom Solutions drives the processes and system controls to ensure 100% BOM accuracy.

Throughout all of our operations, quality control is paramount. We were the first Irish indigenous company of our sector to be awarded ISO9000 in 1988 - likewise, we were also the first to be awarded ISO 14000. Customers can be assured that our priority is always to remain as quality leaders for all our activities.