Keeping a ventilation product range in reliable, long-term production

Managing an ageing, high-variety product range

The customer's core extractor fan range has been in production for a long time and spans as many as 10 to 15 variants per model, across different sizes, indoor configurations and colour options.

Navigating component obsolescence

As part of a mature product range, several components, including resins and other raw materials, are approaching end of life, with limited technical support available from the original suppliers.

Maintaining ageing tooling

The injection moulding tooling used for the range is also mature, requiring periodic rectification to keep production running to the required quality standard.

Coordinating a multi-site colour finishing process

Colour variants require a secondary finishing process carried out at an external site, adding a further layer of supply chain coordination, particularly for lower-volume colour orders.

Managing customer-driven design changes

When the customer introduces a design change to an existing model, such as a new motor, ESCATEC has to assess how the change affects other components in the assembly before production can proceed.

To keep this long-running product range in reliable production, ESCATEC combined proactive supply chain management with an established in-house manufacturing process covering plastic injection moulding, PCB assembly and box build, through to functional testing and retail-ready packaging.

Proactive component and supplier management

When a component nears end of life or a supplier issues a product change notice, ESCATEC works directly with its supplier base to identify equivalent alternative materials or parts, then builds finished-goods-level sample units for the customer to evaluate before any change is confirmed.

Full in-house assembly and packaging

ESCATEC carries out plastic injection moulding, PCB assembly and box build for the full range, completing units to a retail-ready standard and packaging each one individually, ready for delivery straight to the customer's own end customers.

Rigorous functional testing

Every finished unit undergoes functional testing before packaging, supported by a trained, experienced operations team working to documented assembly processes across the full production line.

Close collaboration on design changes

When the customer updates a product, ESCATEC evaluates the downstream impact on related components and produces sample builds so the customer can confirm the change performs as intended before it moves into full production.

Regular, structured communication

A weekly call between ESCATEC and the customer keeps both sides aligned on ongoing requests, sample results and any supply chain updates, helping issues get resolved quickly.

✔️  Long-term manufacturing partnership

ESCATEC has supported this customer's product range for many years, with day-to-day account management now handled by a dedicated key account contact.

 ✔️  Reliable, high-volume production

ESCATEC currently produces around 10,000 units per month for this customer, across as many as 15 product variants.

 ✔️ Proactive obsolescence management

A close working relationship with suppliers allows ESCATEC to identify and propose alternative components ahead of time, helping maintain continuity of supply despite the product range's maturity.

 ✔️  Consistent quality

Every unit is functionally tested and finished to a retail-ready standard before it leaves the factory, packaged to the customer's exact specification for its own end customers.

 ✔️  Strong, responsive collaboration

 Regular weekly calls and an established sample and evaluation process mean design changes and component updates can be managed smoothly, with minimal disruption to production.