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Kitting & Assembly: Learn the Difference and the Benefits

Kitting and assembly are two terms that are often used interchangeably, although they actually refer to different processes. Kitting and assembly are used to improve efficiency in manufacturing or to package pre assembled products for consumer convenience.

What Is the Difference between Kitting and Assembly?

When determining the best production or fulfillment solution for your operation, you may want to evaluate the efficiencies that kitting and/or assembly can provide and learn the difference between the two.

Kitting

Kitting is a process that bundles two or more items together to create one single, ready-to-ship, or ready-to-use kit with a new single SKU. Kitting products together helps manufacturers when several components are required during a manufacturing process to have all the tools and materials needed at the right place and time to facilitate efficiency. Kitting helps inventory tracking by compiling all components into one new SKU to simplify inventory management.

Kitting is also used to satisfy end-user consumer needs with several components sold together as one kit. Many examples of this include subscription boxes, cosmetics, hardware, and direct mail kits, the list is endless.

Assembly

Assembly is a process that involves combining two or more separate components together to create one product that is then sold or used as a single item. Assembly lines are used in many fulfillment centers when products must be assembled in bulk. Assembly lines are common in production facilities and provide efficiency to manufacturers for mass production of various components from small items all the way up to automobiles.

Kitting and Assembly: In-House Or Outsourced Process?

Both kitting and assembly are processes that are commonly performed in-house, at the place of fulfillment or manufacture. Many companies, however, are realizing the benefits of outsourcing kitting & assembly to experienced providers.

Kitting and Assembly In-House

Companies that perform kitting and assembly as part of their own production process must allocate resources to support the in-house process or sub-process. Resources include the space to perform kitting and assembly processes, employees to perform the kitting which involves training and labor expense, and time allocated to manage the inventory and logistics of all products.

Kitting and Assembly Outsourced

Companies that outsource kitting and assembly processes can realize significant benefits when evaluating the process thoroughly and putting a cost to the time and effort of in-house operation and management. When production lines can simply pack parts in bulk and ship to a kitting provider, rather than take up their own floorspace to combine their own parts into a single unit, they can allocate that space to other production processes. This helps to grow their business and focus on their niche product market.

Partner with a Kitting and Assembly Provider

When evaluating kitting and assembly providers, look for a company with experience, attention to detail, capacity, a proven quality track record, and the willingness to partner with you for ongoing success. Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, has been providing kitting and assembly services for more than 80 years. With a large, state-of-the-art facility featuring 17 shipping and receiving bays, we have the capacity to dedicate kitting and assembly workstations to ensure an optimized flow of material.

PPS is committed to total customer satisfaction by investing in our staff with ongoing training and development and a focus on high-quality work processes. We enjoy extremely low turnover, and a dedicated team committed to providing efficient, quality production solutions with meticulous attention to detail. We provide kitting and assembly solutions for companies of all sizes, including some of the largest manufacturers in the country.

PPS offers high-quality kitting and assembly with decades of experience and a commitment to excellence. We practice lean operations, cross training, value stream mapping, full product traceability, and ISO:9001 certified processes. Contact us to learn more about improving your efficiencies by outsourcing kitting and assembly to a quality-minded, experienced kitting and assembly company.

How Material Kitting Enhances Manufacturing

Manufacturers often kit final products to bundle items together for sale to consumers but kitting also plays a beneficial role in the manufacturing process.

What Is Material Kitting in Manufacturing?

Manufacturers are focused on the most cost-efficient production to produce quality products, with a focus on continual improvement, reducing waste, and streamlining processes. Kitting materials that are required during a production process can significantly improve production cycle times and shop floor efficiency. When certain jobs require specific tools, materials, and work instructions and the required kits are available where and when they are needed, this significantly cuts down on operator time hunting down all the materials required.

Kitting may include certain raw materials that go into a particular product, packaging materials for that product line, or labeling materials. Quality control inspection checklists combined with the equipment necessary for specific jobs could be kitted to improve efficiency during QC inspections and ensure that all required parameters or critical dimensions will be checked as required. Material kitting in manufacturing can significantly improve production times by ensuring that all materials, parts, or components that are required during a process are available when needed.

When to Use Material Kitting

When considering incorporating or changing a material kitting process in your manufacturing application, there are some situations where kitting adds significant value. If the following conditions exist, you might want to evaluate your material kitting process:

• When a large variety of small components are required to be incorporated into the production process
• When time is being wasted locating materials and components on the production floor
• When some products require customization of things like shape, color, accessories, or packaging
• If there is a shortage of space that prevents stocking required materials closer to the area needed on the production line

Material kitting can enhance the production process if any of these situations exist or other conditions which can be improved with streamlined methods.

How to Use Material Kitting in Manufacturing

As manufacturers create the Bill of Material or BOM, for specific production jobs, everything that is a part of that finished product, including all materials and labor, is accounted for. When components in the BOM arrive at the production process when and where they are needed, in a ready-to-use kit, operators save time for improved efficiency.

All of these individual components can be kitted to create a new SKU, which simplifies inventory and handling. Quality is also improved with a kit of parts that have already passed all quality control measures and are assured to be within acceptable specifications. Kitting requires production managers to determine the most beneficial products and materials to bundle for improved manufacturing efficiency.

When kitting multiple components in large quantities, it may be beneficial to utilize the services of a contract kitting and assembly provider.

PPS Provides Material Kitting for Manufacturing

Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, offers kitting solutions to manufacturers of all sizes, including some of the largest Fortune 100 manufacturers in the country. We utilize our large, modern, state-of-the-art facility with the capacity to dedicate kitting stations designed to meet customer specifications. With a dedicated staff, automated equipment, and a commitment to detail and quality processes, PPS improves production efficiencies in a variety of industries and markets.

We are experienced in efficient kitting processes, practicing lean operations including value stream mapping (VSM), to improve efficiencies and reduce waste. PPS offers a variety of secondary production solutions such as kitting, assembly, packaging, and many secondary packaging solutions customized for the manufacturing line or display-ready products.

PPS is an industry-leading production solutions provider with more than 80 years of experience. We differ from other kitting providers in our kitting expertise and commitment to our staff and customers. Contact us to learn more about improving your material kitting to enhance your production processes.

Improving Assembly Efficiency with Kitting

Efficiency is a key driver of profitability, especially in manufacturing operations where time is money. Kitting is proven to improve efficiency, thus increasing profitability, in many manufacturing applications. Having the parts required delivered to a certain production station at the time they are needed saves operators from hunting for parts that they need and supports lean, continual production operations.

Kitting Saves Time, Time is Money

The cost of each component produced, whether a small part or a large automobile, is dependent upon a few different factors, including the raw materials going into the product, the cost of labor, and the time it takes to produce each unit. Reducing the “cycle time” of each product produced is one area where manufacturers have some control and try to improve, thus reducing each component’s cost. If time is shaved even in seconds off of a production cycle, that’s seconds that are opened up to produce more parts. Time reductions also provide more production for the same labor expenses in most cases, thus making labor more efficient.

Lean Manufacturing with Kitting

Reducing time where possible is one key aspect of lean manufacturing. Reducing the time it takes to produce products and the time that parts are stored in inventory, whether raw materials or finished goods, improves efficient operations. This is especially true in assembly operations where a production line must have the parts they need, as shutting down a major assembly line is not an option in many operations. Just shutting down one production line at an automotive OEM plant can cost tens of thousands of dollars in a matter of hours.

Kitting Improves Efficiency and Inventory Reductions

Storing products costs money in terms of taking up space in addition to the cost of the purchase. This is why many manufacturers practice lean manufacturing, which emphasizes waste reduction and optimized flow of goods, usually with just-in-time (JIT) deliveries of required materials. This also helps to prevent items from becoming obsolete while in storage.

By reducing the amount of inventory, companies can improve their inventory turnover ratio, which indicates efficient inventory management, improving balance sheet ratios and cash flow. Kitting is an excellent way to improve efficiency when assembling components and to help reduce product cycle times and inventory storage. Kitting requires careful planning and logistics considerations to receive the right parts at the right time but is well worth the improvement in efficiency when assembling components.

PPS Supports Lean Manufacturing with Kitting for Assembly

Peoria Production Solutions, PPS, understands the importance of lean manufacturing and on-time delivery as an ISO9001:2015 registered kitting provider with more than 80 years of experience. We provide kitting solutions for companies of all sizes, including some of the largest Fortune 100 companies in the U.S., as well as small to midsize businesses.

We practice value stream mapping (VSM) in our own operations to optimize kitting and assembly processes. This ensures the most efficient process to meet your production requirements with a focus on high quality and timely delivery. Our staff is unique in that we enjoy a dedicated team that enjoys coming to work and enjoys working together thus cross training, and fulfilling lean production processes are simpler when all team members are focused on providing an exceptional material flow.

PPS utilizes automated equipment combined with a trained, skilled staff in addition to quality control and lean manufacturing best practices. We offer a large, modern facility with the capacity to dedicate customized kitting and assembly stations to meet customer needs. Contact us to learn more about improving your assembly operations from an ISO9001:2015 certified kitting and assembly provider.