Looking to change the way a distribution board is ordered and manufactured, NHP created the NHP Concept Express.

NHP Concept Express is the combination of ‘NHP Drawing Express’, a software tool that enables the user to instantly design a distribution board from a website, and a new manufacturing line that employs a direct connection to the software tool and uses lean manufacturing methodology to achieve incredible results.

With NHP Concept Express, an NHP staff member is capable of entering a website where they can design the distribution board for their customer by indicating all of the components that are required and more importantly, how they are to be connected. Drawings include General Arrangement, Schematic and Bill of Material details and within minutes of completing this simple process, made easier by a user friendly interface and an easy to follow step by step process, an automatic drawing is generated and sent directly to the NHP staff member via email, which can then be forwarded on to their customer.

With a simple click of a button, this drawing can be turned into an order for manufacture by sending the manufacturing information directly to the manufacturing line, thus enabling the distribution board to be manufactured within 48 hours of clicking that button.

NHP continuous improvement manager – manufacturing, Hugo Fernandez, based at the National Manufacturing and Distribution Centre in Laverton, is responsible for the development of NHP Concept Express. As Hugo explains, what initially began as an idea to decrease drawing lead-times on orders for customers quickly became a reality with the help of the expert team around him.

“We developed the NHP Drawing Express technology in order to decrease the drawing lead time from 5-7 working days to a matter of minutes, while completely eliminating any potential human error,” he says.

“In order to satisfy customer demand for fast distribution board manufacture, our next logical step was to create a new dedicated manufacturing line capable of direct communication to the technology so that we remove the steps in between an order being placed and the start of manufacture. This reduces the average lead time of order-to-delivery for a distribution board from 20 working days down to 48 hours.”

Another important advantage of the NHP Concept Express tool is that it is also compatible for use via a tablet device (such as an iPad which all NHP sales representatives have) which delivers the same result and also provides an ‘on-demand’ drawing that can be viewed on the particular device. Since the launch of NHP Concept Express in June 2012, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Concept Express is an exciting development in switch board assembly. It combines modern manufacturing processes and principles to deliver a quality product in exceptionally short lead times,” says manufacturing manager – Laverton, Richard Wilson.

“The great thing about NHP Concept Express is that it can be used to directly place an order for a distribution board, used as a reference for a particular design, it can be used on the road by our reps, and it can even be used for tendering by sending an example of a drawing with the quote. That on its own can assist NHP in our customer promise of ‘what they want, when, where and how they want it’.”