A long time customer, to whom EPI Provided contract manufacturing services, approached the company and two of its competitors to request quotation to produce a new ultrasound console.
Solution: Given the design objectives, EPI management consulted with its team of engineers to offer suggestions for reducing manufacturing cost for the customer. Along with its bid for services, EPI suggested ways to reduce the required connections for the equipment, which would reduce the overall number of circuit board parts.
By simplifying the number of circuitry, EPI engineers also pointed out that this resulted in easier testing of the boards for accuracy. In fact, EPI called on its partnership with Bowling Green State University to use its Robotics Lab to test the final product for the medical device customer.

In the lab, a robot activated every switch, lever, slide pot and movement of the trackball in an accelerated environment. The testing actually imitated normal day-to-day operation by a live end-user and confirmed the reliability of the input components.
Results: EPI won the bid to produce the ultrasound machine and enhanced its rapport with the customer by offering more than just contract manufacturing. EPI’s cost reduction suggestions and reliability testing have become dependable, value-added services for the customer.