Lend-An-Arm has a different approach to traditional Automation projects. We are not just a “Turn Key” system developer, programming and software company, maintenance and support service provider, robotic staffing solution resource, or finance company. We are here to help you get automation in house. Our design and Build Process is based on the AS 9100 manufacturing guidelines for Aerospace and Agile software development practices. This collaborative development process utilizes small teams dedicated to each aspect of the project managed by quality assurance checks designed for for aerospace. This reduces overhead, accelerates the design and development time-line, and ensure the quality of the project.
With our simple yet dynamic approach we get to minimum viable product as quickly as possible. This means we get through the design phase and commissioning phase fast, putting a machine on your floor producing viable product as soon as possible. Then the Lease begins and you start paying for the machine while you are making money. During the lease Lend-An-Arm dedicates an allotted amount of time per month for the term of the lease for you to assign to the machine how ever you would like. Want to add some sensors, a vision inspection system, redesign a tooling fixture. Lend-An-Arm is onsite working with you to sand down the rough edges of your process to create a seamless production flow. This approach accepts that the scope of the project will grow as new opportunities for improvement present themselves. We don’t wash our hands of the project once you sign off and then charge you for each additional change, we stand by waiting for your requests as a service while your production pays the machine off. No matter if your project is a napkin sketch or a dissertation on the finer points of the injection molding process Lend-An-Arm is ready to support your automation needs.
Custom Automation Lease-To-own PRocess
The financial structure of the custom automation solution applies pressure to the customer and Lend-An-Arm to ensure the projects success. You the customer provide a down payment to begin the project putting your skin in the game, Lend-An-Arm finances the rest of the project making us liable for the success of the project. We then split the project into five dynamic phases focusing on getting the machine into a production state and quickly as possible. Here is how it works:
Quote and Project Scope Phase
With the Lend-An-Arm approach you the customer can support any aspect of the project reducing the cost of the project and utilizing your resources. Want us to do it all, or just a specific portion, No problem. To define the project scope we take every aspect of the project and break it down into stations each with their own defined deliverable and quality specification. This allows Lend-An-Arm to assign teams to each aspect of the project with defined goals. Lend-An-Arm will review the production process and interview operators, maintenance, and quality personnel to ensure full comprehension of the project scope. Once the project scope is defined the budget is created and presented for your approval.
Design phase
The design phase is a collaboration of multiple teams each with their own objective, this can range from 1 week to weeks depending on the complexity of the project. The objective is to present solutions and identify failure points with possible back up plans. Every team evaluates the each others solution both as a customer and a provider to overall process. Each team quickly prototypes with 3d printing, or other design materials and Lend-An-Arm validates the high-risk areas of each station and the overall project. Once a team has completed their portion they begin manufacturing. This station by station development approach accelerates development time and allows for each sections of the project to complete independently of each other. If a stations is dependent upon another station it is produced first and presented to the next station allowing for the machine to build itself based on the sequence of operations or risk assessment value. During the design phase Lend-An-Arm is not getting paid. It is in our best interest to get the design completed as quickly and as accurately as possible. This reduces your return on investment time and gets the machine to your production floor faster.
Commission phase
Once the stations are completed the commission phase begins. Lend-An-Arm arrives at your facility and installs the system. This process can last from 1 to 10 weeks deeding on complexity. The objective of this phase is to produce minimum viable product. The system will function and produce product based upon the agreed criteria defined in the project quote. At the end of this phase a punch list is developed with all of your request documented. At the completion of this phase the Lend-An-Arm lease begins. This means you start paying for the machine once product is being produced.
Functional Support Phase
This phase lasts 2 months and to Lend-An-Arm this is the most important phase of the project because this is where traditional automation development approaches fail. Once the machine is running new opportunities for improvement will present themselves. These are the little details that eat into Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) calculations and make operators and maintenance personnel unhappy. Lend-An-Arm dedicates 40 - 80 hours per month for you to assign any modifications, additions, and adjustments to the project with the hours you have available during that month.
Once the punch list developed during the Commissioning phase is completed and the two months have passed by The Functional Support Phase is completed.
Continued Support Phase
This phase lasts to the end of the lease agreement. During this time a Lend-An-Arm representative will visit the site twice a month for up to a 4 hour period to provide support. This support can include minor program modification, minor HMI support, system maintenance, and documentation. A completed preventative maintenance document, spare parts list, and system operation manual are provided as deliverable for this phase.