Electronics Manufacturing Case Studies
Case Study one - Military
This project for an Avionics Test System employed within the Royal Navy involved design, build, testing and provision of documentation to stringent military standards. Having designed the product to the customer's precise specifications, Texcel also created the circuit design, embedded software and housing design, and delivered the supporting documentation, which involved EMC and environmental testing. Texcel continues to provide a full repair and support service for the system.
Case Study two - Medical
Texcel helped a major customer in the medical instruments business to improve product quality and reduce the unit costs of a design for a new high voltage system for x-ray machines. Working closely in partnership with the customer, Texcel helped to production engineer the PCBs, then provided fast response prototypes, followed by high volume supply on a Kanban basis. This activity successfully established a format for additional projects with the business, which has continued to expand within the medical sector.
Case Study three - Communications
Texcel's ability to provide complete solutions to complex challenges paid dividends for a leading telecommunications network provider. The project required Texcel to develop an entire system for remote monitoring of the company's telecommunications network, including E1 circuit performance. Texcel worked with the customer to generate a full requirements specification from which circuit design and software modules were produced. Following the build of the prototypes, Texcel carried out product approval testing to international standards before supplying the finished units.
Case study four - Automotive
A major automotive supplier's new injectors really took off when Texcel was invited to design and manufacture the electronic test systems. The Texcel design team worked closely with the customers' engineers to produce a reliable and accurate solution. Texcel undertook all the system validation testing and produced the final systems. The project has proved so successful that the units are now used in all of the customers' manufacturing sites worldwide.
Case study five - Gas spectrum analysers
Although a request to build and test complex gas spectrum analysers was a new task for Texcel, it gave the company an opportunity to demonstrate its expertise in instrumentation and the quality of design support it provides for customers.
Texcel undertook the New Product Introduction (NPI) and began producing the instruments on a Kanban basis, which enabled the customer to maintain a flexible delivery schedule and respond to urgent requests for product. Sales of the instrument have increased continuously over the last three years, due to its consistent performance, reliability and price competitiveness.
Case study six - Sub-sea
In partnership with two leading specialist companies, Texcel developed a revolutionary undersea observatory power and control system for the Canadian part of the North-East Pacific Time-series Undersea Networked Experiment (NEPTUNE).
The infrastructure contract for the shore fed, high power, high bandwidth cabled ocean observatory system was issued by the University of Victoria, following a thorough selection process.
The science nodes were designed to supply up to 9Kw of usable power and switch this to individual scientific instruments some distance from the nodes, in active areas where telecom cables would not be routed. Texcel designed the monitoring and control systems within each node and the management software to control the nodes remotely.
Texcel handled the feasibility study, the system design and circuit design, as well as producing the firmware and server software, and a providing a complete validation test of the whole system.
When deployed, NEPTUNE Canada will allow real-time monitoring of critical science applications, such as neutrino telescopes and tsunami detection systems.
Case study seven - Marine
When an incumbent supplier dropped out of the frame, Texcel stepped in and saved the day for a major international marine radar manufacturer. Texcel's initial quote for the manufacture of the company's entire range of radar systems was agreed to be competitive and in line with the customer's quality requirements.
Unfortunately, the incumbent supplier could no longer provide assemblies. Texcel was asked to start manufacture immediately, which involved over 200 different assemblies and 13,000 component parts. Texcel met the challenge by importing BoMs, securing component availability and pre-configuration of test systems. This proactive approach improved quality performance, and enabled the customer to maintain supply to its customers. In fact, the company recorded its best ever sales performance!
Case study eight - Communications
Texcel's ability to go the extra mile in terms of improving original design concepts paid off when the company was asked to complete an automated test system that would meet Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) standards. This suite of open digital trunked radio standards is used by private mobile radio users, such as public safety organisations. It is a pan-European standard and as the application is often adversely affected by the environment, there is a requirement to ensure full operational capabilities across all terrains.
The system developed by Texcel consisted of a fixed test rack located in the base stations, and a rugged mobile test suite fitted into a vehicle. This world-beating solution resulted in increased sales for the customer and additional manufacturing work for Texcel - another excellent example of team work and the benefits of partnership.
