CostChem Analysis

Performance:
- Loading: Manual
- Precision: None
- Speed: Dependence upon user.

Environment:
- Temperature Range - Appropriate user working environment.
- Pressure Range - Appropriate user working environment
- Humidity - Appropriate user working environment
- Shock Loading: High resistance due to cast-iron material.
- Dirty - The (screw & handle) must be properly lubricated
- Corrosion - Rust.
- Noise Level - Dependant upon user.
- Insects - Not applicable.
- Vibration: Dependence upon usage (cutting, drilling, pounding).
- Person type: Average individual

Service Life:
Service life of the bench vise should be quite long, due to the durable product at hand. Product life-span should be a minimum of 5 years with a noticeable turnover rate afterwards.

Maintenance:
The product is maintenance free with the only alternative of purchasing a new item for broken parts or a return of defective parts via warranty. This provides a more economical solution for the end user in comparison to the purchase of a new product. This type of resolution is not easily completed and must be done by the end user. Profitability on this basis would be at a bare minimum with only the customer's satisfaction in mind.

Target Costs:
Original cost of the bench vise is $14.99 retail and $8.00 manufacturing cost. Initial startup costs would include machines for producing casted parts, grinding and polishing the anvil, and painting the parts.

Competition:
The competition has comparable initial products available, but after our redesigning process our product will be of higher quality. NOTE: We will provide detailed reports of other products for the future presentation.

Shipping:
In bulk, by land and sea, directly to the companies warehouse in enormous shipping quantities. Distribution will be handled through a exterior company, this will allow us to not only focus on our product only, but (most likely) reduce our overall overhead due to our manufacturing of only one product.

Product Volume (Quantity):
Projected annual sales: 10,000,000 products (worldwide dist.)
Method of construction: Casting, then minimal manual assembly.
Retooling efforts would be very minimal with only the changing of the dies for each part within the product.

Packing:
Placement into a sturdy box capable of handling the weight of the product. Due to the resistance of the product packaging can be at this minimum level.

Manufacturing Facility:
We are a startup company with very minimal, if any, current production levels. We will need to build a complete manufacturing line for our new product.




Size:
Various sizes of the bench vise will be available to apply to varying situations and needs (too large for design constraints, work environment, etc.). Due to the work environment nature of the product portability will be held to a minimum.

Weight:
The weight factor will be tightly integrated into the design constraints related to clamping / external forces. Shipping costs will be, on the whole, not affected largely due to the enormous quantities shipped per a delivery.

Aesthetics and Finish:
The current product has a more "square" appearance, we would like to evolve the existing competitor product so that it has more round features. This will give it the "new age" appearance.

Materials:
None.

Product Life Span:
Product lifespan should be a minimum of 5 years with a noticeable turnover rate afterwards.

Standards, Specifications, and Legal Aspects:
We will tailor current acceptable design standards to meet our product specifications. Current legal ramifications of design standards and of our additional ones should not result in high liability suits.

Ergonomics:
The ergonomic factor of this product will be primarily handled by the end- user (workplace attributes of noise level, open area, reachability, etc.). We will take into account the factors of applied force and leverage to result in a acceptable clamping force.

Customer:
The customer may have several current ties with certain product lines (Sears Craftsman products, etc). We will have to overcome this disadvantage by attaining a higher level of quality over our competitors.

Quality & Reliability:
Due to the quick production scheme required a larger amount of defective products will be produced, but as long as we keep tolerance levels low and continue with spc production levels should be quite high.

Shelf Life:
For our sake, unlimited (Note: item is corrosion resistant).

Processes:
None.

Timescales:
An acceptable design startup --> launch date would be approx. 6 months. This would include assembly line setup and implementation of new design constraints. One note, the initial time spent on design and setup should be taken very seriously as this will lead to a savings of time / money in the future due to no large re-designing of the process / parts. SPC should be taken into account at this stage.

Testing:
Testing should be completed by the end user. This is going to give us the widest range of environmental settings and a variance of customer complaints / compliments. The testing of the product will allow us to continue with the above SPC process.

Safety:
1. Properly secured product.
2. Keep fingers away from clamping jaws.
3. High stress / force factors may be involved with use.

Company Constraints
Startup project, the facilities / personnel are added as needed.

Market Constraints:
Comparative prices / functionality with competitive products.

Patents, Literature, and Product Data:
[ Research needed ]

Political and Social Implications:
None known.

Disposal:
Re-melting of product parts when use is no longer desired or available will provide and afterlife.