Why is it important to involve your cable supplier early in developing your new product or equipment? At DeRegt, we often see customers who have succeeded in developing an excellent Sonar or ROV system but forget to think of the cables involved or underestimate their complexity.
You can have two fantastic pieces of equipment, but they are likely to be worthless if you don’t have the suitable cable to connect them. Involving your cable supplier at an early stage of the project offers three key benefits:
- Time
- Costs
- Optimisations
Advantage 1. Time
Depending on the complexity of the cable and the termination, the time to develop a cable and get it ready to be manufactured can vary from several months to over a year. It is essential to realise the impacts of your requirements (mainly on the development time of the cable and the overall project planning) at an early stage.
We’ve seen cases where people assumed that they would be able to obtain a complex cable in x number of weeks, only to discover at a later stage that they actually need two or three times of that amount of weeks. This can seriously increase the time it takes to make your product commercially available or even force a delay in the execution of a job.
Advantage 2. Costs
If you involve your cable supplier later in the project, critical concept choices will already have been made. This may well mean you miss out on the opportunity to reduce the cable's overall costs. This is a shame; since you could significantly reduce costs simply by utilising the knowledge and expertise of your cable supplier during your new product development. Involvement during the concept phase enables the supplier to advise on materials with the best price & performance characteristics and to optimise the most efficient production method.
Advantage 3. Optimisations
The cable can have a significant impact on the entire system. For example, the diameter of the cable seriously impacts the winching system's size. Overestimating the cable diameter could mean you end up with a winch bigger than what you actually need, taking up a great deal of valuable space on the vessel, which can’t be used for other equipment/activities. On the other hand, underestimating the cable diameter could lead to a situation where only a shorter cable than initially planned can be installed. This might cause limitations to the operational capabilities of the system or product.
Another matter to consider would be the selection of materials. Selecting the correct materials will not only save costs but also lead to improved product manufacturability, a more efficient production process and a more efficient product. Furthermore, improved manufacturability and a more efficient production process result in a shorter lead time and an accelerated launch into the market.
Other design optimisation examples include power requirements, data requirements, mechanical characteristics and the termination interface. Identifying possibilities for optimisation at an early stage allows you to develop a better solution and reduce development time and cost.
A win for all parties
These three advantages are highly intertwined with each other. A knowledgeable supplier will understand how those advantages can come together and help you identify risks and, above all, help you develop a better product.
To sum up, early supplier involvement allows you to:
- identify the project risks at an earlier stage;
- discover cost-saving possibilities;
- improve the product manufacturability;
- decrease the lead time.
Curious about what Early Supplier Involvement can do for your project? You might save costs and time by involving our cable experts early in your subsea project. Request a Custom Cable Design here, or discuss your project with one of our specialists during a Feasibility Check:
