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Turnkey Solution for Manufacturer Case Study

This case study showcases how Forwessun delivered a full turnkey test solution for a leading UK manufacturer.

Delivering a Full Turnkey Test Solution for a Leading UK Manufacturer

We’ve created this case study to give you a closer look at how Forwessun approaches complex projects and provides full turnkey solutions. It highlights some of the challenges that can arise, how we overcome them, and how we work closely with our partners to deliver the right test solution across a variety of industries. The aim of this case study is to help you gain a better understanding of how we operate, the level of support we provide, and the range of services available to meet your testing and development needs.

In this particular case study, we’re taking a closer look at one of our recent projects with a long-term partner, a leading UK manufacturer generating over a billion pounds in revenue each year. We have a strong working relationship with this company and regularly supply them with HP3070 fixture-only hardware.

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Contents

  1. Approach for a Turnkey Solution
  2. Requirements & Time Pressures
  3. The Solution
  4. The Process
  5. The Results
  6. Partner With Us

Approach for a Full Turnkey Solution

The manufacturer approached us with a request for a full turnkey solution. Normally, their in-house team of software engineers would take care of this side of the project. However, due to overlapping product development schedules, they simply didn’t have the capacity to meet the aggressive lead times required for their NPI (New Product Introduction).

After discussing their needs in detail, we provided a full proposal for the turnkey project, which they agreed to outsource to us as a trusted partner. Our long-standing relationship, combined with our experience, technical skills and a large engineering team of 15 HP3070 specialists, gave them confidence that we could get the project up and running immediately to meet their tight deadlines.

Requirements and Time Pressures

Time was the main challenge. To meet the deadlines set by their NPI schedule, the project needed to be carefully planned and managed from the start. We worked closely with their team to design a robust manufacturing test solution that would meet all requirements without compromising quality or coverage.

“We need to increase our testing capacity to meet our NPI Deadlines” – Senior Test Manager

As this was the first time we had delivered a full turnkey solution for this customer, collaboration was key. We sent our engineers to visit them on site, working side by side with their team to gain a deeper understanding of their workflows, test requirements and preferred software methods. By taking this approach, we were able to align our solution with their processes and ensure it fitted seamlessly into their production environment.

The Solution

The main issue for the engineer to overcome was powering up. The UUT was to be tested in a panel of 20, but the customer’s machine only had 8 controllable power supplies. It is, of course, not acceptable to permanently wire 2 boards to a single power supply, so a solution was required.

Fortunately, the customer’s tester was also equipped with an ACCESS card. The advantage of this card is that it contains general-purpose GP relays, which can be used as the engineer sees fit. The engineer was able to utilise the ACCESS card, along with the GP relays provided as standard on the CONTROL card, to design a switching setup that ensured any failing UUTs could be disconnected from their power supply.

10+ years ago, the custom wiring for this setup would have had to be manually added to the test fixture. But since 2019, Forwessun has had the ability to include these custom wires with the normal wires. This allowed them to be added by our semi-automatic wiring machine and verified by our test fixture verifier hardware.

The Process

Once the project scope and requirements were confirmed, our UK facility began building the test fixture. Our experienced production team created a high-quality piece of equipment that met all customer specifications and mechanical requirements.

At the same time, our software engineers developed bespoke test software to deliver high test coverage and reliable performance. During development, we carried out a detailed debugging process with quality checks to ensure both the test fixture and test software were functioning exactly as intended.

After manufacturing and software programming were complete, the test fixture underwent final quality assurance checks. The dedicated test engineer, independent from the production team, validates the test fixture’s performance. This stage included running the software against the target board to confirm full functionality and test coverage before delivery.

wiring a fixture
Test Fixture Software - Testing a fixture

The Results

The project was delivered successfully and on time. The manufacturer was able to meet its demanding NPI deadlines and, in the process, gained a reliable partner who could provide complete turnkey support for the manufacturing industry when needed.

Not only did the solution meet their immediate goals, but it also provided peace of mind for the future by establishing a solid contingency plan. Following the success of this project, Forwessun was awarded two additional full turnkey projects alongside our ongoing test fixture work, reinforcing the strength of our partnership and the trust built throughout the process. This is an excellent case study of our manufacturing test capabilities.

Partner with Forwessun

At Forwessun, we pride ourselves on delivering reliable, high-quality turnkey test solutions that help our customers bring products to market faster and with confidence. Each case study we publish demonstrates our commitment to precision, quality, and collaboration in developing test solutions.

If you’d like to learn more about our turnkey services or discuss an upcoming project, get in touch with our team today to see how we can support your testing needs.

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