Case Studies

"We work on very tight timelines and HUI has been able to deliver the product on-time and within budget."

Mary Donlin, MedGraphics Product Manager

• Situation

  HUI had provided MedGraphics with a cart for their Ultima system. MedGraphics had decided to launch a new platform of this product into the ICU market with a condensed workspace. The customer wanted the cart to coordinate in a "product family". The "Express" product needed to launch as soon as possible.

• Problems Encountered

  • The product was to be used in an extremely limited space within the ICU
  • The product needed to be launched in less than 3 months
  • Hardware to be used with this product was still in development and the customer was struggling to find a nonconductive fastening mechanism for use on the cart
  • The customer wanted to provide a consistent brand image across markets

• Results

  • Within one day, all of the necessary specifications were gathered
  • Within 2 weeks, 3-D mechanical concept drawings were provided
  • Within 3 weeks, prototype was provided
  • Within 2 weeks of PO issued, production of the first order of carts
  • Within one week, three potential solutions were provided

"HUI was unique among its competitors in what they accomplished for us is a short time frame. We essentially asked them to radically adapt their business in many ways to respond to our time critical needs. They had the teams in place to work side by side with us to get this large project completed fast since we were under the gun to get this done to serve our customers. While this project has not been smooth or easy at times they hung in there with us, worked through the tough issues with us, and earned the business. Thanks HUI!"

Joe Carlson, Lakeside Manufacturing President

• Situation

  Our customer acquired an acute and long term cart product line that did not ideally fit their manufacturing capabilities. The customer partnered with HUI to provide a complete solution including engineering, supply chain, manufacturing (fabrication and paint), assembly, and logistics. Our customer had a limited amount of time to get the product line back into the market without losing potential sales opportunities.

• Problems Encountered

  • Over 100 SKUs (including products and accessories) and 5 product families to get back into the market within a 3 month period
  • Incomplete engineering drawings
  • Incorrect Bills of Material
  • Product line inventory quantity inaccuracy

• Results

  • Within 6 weeks, through a cross-functional team at HUI, the first product family was quoted, engineered, manufactured, and shipped
  • Within 12 weeks, over half the SKUs and half the product families were back in the market
  • Within 6 months, the entire product line was back in the market

• Situation

  Our cardiology customer transported their product on a custom designed medical cart. The cart no longer fit the demands of their product according to feedback from their customers. They desired redesigning the cart to the customer feedback, while reducing their inventory turns and lead-time to market.

  As part of the design process, we need to improve the writing surface, allow for multiple computer mounting options and have a better paper tray.

• Solutions Provided

  Ultimately, HUI provided a solution that accommodated all three critical design issues. Several different design options were provided. These options included an entirely new concept and a slight redesign of the current unit. HUI's design engineers worked with multiple engineering, marketing, and purchasing employees to provide a final design that combined the best features of the entirely new concept into a redesign of the current cart.

  In studying the purchasing and manufacturing operations, we also discovered that by designing the product differently, we could reduce our customer's part numbers ordered, improve their inventory turns, and lower their cost.

• Results

  • 10% price reduction due to redesign
  • $150,000 annual cost savings
  • Reduced order lead time by 50% (from 4 weeks to 2 weeks)
  • Reduced cart inventory by 40% (building per need vs volume)
  • Reduced the number of part numbers purchased by 50%