Change management is one of the primary requirements in the manufacturing and electronics industry. It is necessary to understand that engineering change order is an important part of the process and there are many names by which this is known. Some popular names of ECO are:
· Engineering change note
· Engineering change request
· Manufacturing change order
· Manufacturing change request
ECO must be sent to all critical stakeholders including engineering, procurement, quality manufacturing, external design team, and supply chain partners. Every board member must approve the changes before acting on them.
The engineering change process is divided into several crucial steps:
A. Identification of the issue & Scoping
This is the first stage of the ECO implementation where the core issue is identified. In addition to identification, the impact of the issue is also analyzed.
B. ECR Creation
ECR is created to specifically identify the components, parts and, documentation to estimate the cost and resources needed to implement the change.
C. ECR Review
All the stakeholders are notified and a review of every point is done by the key stakeholders. The modifications are done according to the pointers discussed with key stakeholders.
D. ECO Creation
Once the ECR is approved by all major stakeholders, an ECO is generated. ECO comprises updated drawings, CAD files, material disposition codes, manufacturing work instructions, and Standard operating procedures SOPs.
E. ECO Review
Finally, the ECO documents are reviewed by the CCB comprising all stakeholders.
F. Approval Notification
Once the ECO has been approved all the affected individuals are notified and everything is implemented as documented.
What are the key benefits of (ECO) Engineering change order?
It might look too much to document a small change but it's a critical part to keep product development on track. Following are the key benefits of maintaining ECO:
1. Reduction in potential errors in the design, manufacturing, inventory errors, development delays and facilitates easier communication between concerned departments, key suppliers, and contract manufacturers.
2. Keeping a track of changes ensures tracking of problems even after the product launch.
3. It's easier to plan a mitigation strategy when you have entire product change history.
What can happen when you don't have an ECO?
Not having an ECO in manufacturing can often complicate matters. For instance, a change in component might not be notified to the purchasing department. This eventually will lead to the ordering of wrong parts and unnecessary delays. To avoid such things, it's important to have an ECO in place which communicates the implemented change to all the key stakeholders responsible for the final decision.
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