Case study · No. 2021
Kit configurations built across 150+ component SKUs
RELYService family·Contract assemblyFinal & subassembly
For operations and plant leadership
Contract Assembly & Subassembly for OEMs
Free your production team from the assembly work holding it back.
RELY builds mechanical and electromechanical final assemblies and subassemblies for OEMs with recurring programs. We take labor-intensive builds off your line so your people, floor space and management attention go back to higher-value production. ISO 9001:2015 certified, building at our Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin facility in the Milwaukee area or inside your plant.
In one water-heater manufacturing program, RELY saved the customer 700 assembly hours in the first three months.Case Study No. 20 · Result from that program only
Start with a print, a BOM, a sample or a description of the work. A complete RFQ is not required.
Assembly cell · RELY floor
Where RELY fits
Built for work that is recurring, labor-intensive or high-mix.
RELY is a strong fit when the work still matters to your customer but no longer makes sense inside your core production flow: recurring production, complex or labor-intensive assembly, high-mix programs, service parts, product transfers and supplier transitions. The work does not need to be temporary or simple.
Where we are usually not the right fit: highly automated commodity production decided almost entirely by the lowest unit price at extreme scale, or work that needs specialized equipment or certification RELY cannot support economically. We would rather say so early.
OEM overflow and capacity relief
When demand outgrows your line, RELY acts as an OEM manufacturing partner for defined assembly work. We take the labor-intensive builds so your people and floor space stay on core production, with work instructions, quality checks and reporting agreed up front.
What RELY builds
- Control boxes & electrical modules
- Final assemblies
- Mechanical & electromechanical assemblies
- PVC subassemblies
- Subassemblies & line-ready pre-builds
Programs that fit
- Demand swings and ramps
- Equipment and line transfers
- High-mix recurring programs
- Service & legacy parts
Assembly program evidence
Case No. 20
2,400+
Subassemblies produced per month for a water heater manufacturer
Case No. 20
2,000
Square feet of production space freed for higher-value production
Case No. 13
<4 wks
From go-ahead to production at RELY for a transferred assembly program
Quality system
ISO 9001:2015
Certified for contract manufacturing and assembly
From RELY Case Studies No. 20 and No. 13 and the Amtivo ISO 9001:2015 certificate. Each figure applies to the program named and is not a standard lead time.
Two common starting points
Move an established build, or get one out of your experts’ hands.
Both start the same way. RELY observes the current work, documents it in visual instructions with inspection points, and proves it in a practical pilot before volume moves.
Move an established assembly process
Case Study No. 13. A Wisconsin injection molder wanted mask assembly moved from out of state to sit closer to its molding operation. RELY time-studied the work before the move, so the labor requirement was known, then had production running at RELY in under four weeks from go-ahead.
RELY assembled 104,609 masks from April 2021 to May 2022. The same customer then moved six more product lines to RELY: seven lines and 210,689 units in total through August 2022.
- Time study before the move
- Visual work instructions
- Inspection at the station
- Production in under four weeks
Document a build your experts still own
Case Study No. 22. A medical diagnostics developer relied on its scientists to assemble cartridges by hand. RELY observed the builds, documented the work in 18 visual assembly and inspection steps with three critical-to-quality gates, and joined a three-day build at the customer’s lab eight weeks after the first process walk.
That joint build produced 1,100 cartridges, combined output with the customer’s team. RELY later assembled 300 cartridges at its own facility in fall 2022.
- Observe the actual build
- 18 documented steps
- 3 inspection gates
- A practical pilot
Process documentation is part of launching contracted assembly at RELY, not a standalone engineering service. Product design, acceptance criteria and release stay with your team.
How work moves to RELY
Four steps. Each one ends with something you approve.
Scope and responsibilities
Print, BOM, volume, timing, materials and quality requirements reviewed together.
Output: agreed scope and who owns whatProduction, material and quality plan
Work instructions, fixtures, material flow and inspection points built around the approved revision.
Output: documented process and control pointsPilot evidence and approval
First articles or a pilot run confirm method, cycle time, checks and documentation.
Output: pilot results you approveOperating cadence and controlled changes
KPIs, reporting cadence and an agreed change-control path for engineering changes.
Output: stable production and a change process
Built in
Inspection at the cell.
Checkpoints and functional checks built into the sequence, not added at the end.
Documented
Picture-based work instructions.
Revision-controlled instructions, training records and operator sign-off against the work.
Traceable
Lot traceability where required.
Nonconformance control and ERP-supported production visibility, matched to the program’s requirements.
Capability
What RELY assembles for OEMs today.
- Electromechanical modules
- Final assembly
- High-mix assembly programs
- Labeled, revision-controlled builds
- Line-ready production kits
- Mechanical assemblies
- Mixed-technology assemblies
- PVC subassemblies
- Service & replacement builds
- Subassembly & pre-build
Materials
Customer-supplied materials, RELY-procured materials, or a hybrid arrangement.
All three models are available. The quote defines how materials work for your program, so nobody discovers the rules during the first shortage.
| Decision | What gets agreed |
|---|---|
| Purchasing | Who buys each component, and for which part numbers. |
| Approved suppliers | Which sources are approved and who manages them. |
| Ownership | Who owns inventory at each stage, including consigned material. |
| Replenishment | Lead-time responsibility, minimums and how material is reordered. |
| Shortages | How shortages are flagged, escalated and resolved. |
| Engineering changes | How revisions are introduced and how affected stock is handled. |
| Excess and obsolete | How leftover or superseded material is treated. |
| Inventory reporting | What you see, and how often. |
Production transfers & service parts
Transferring a product line or a service-parts program.
RELY supports transfers from customer facilities and incumbent suppliers, including customer-owned equipment and service-parts programs. The full transfer process and inventory models live on the Production Transfers page. For a complex handoff with inherited tooling, obsolete material and full requalification, read Case Study No. 21.
Supporting installed equipment? See how RELY runs OEM service-parts and aftermarket programs.
Example: appliance switch assembly. RELY first ran a semi-automated switch assembly line inside the customer’s facility, created work instructions, quality inspection instructions and PM instructions, then moved the equipment into RELY’s facility. The customer used the freed space to install three new injection molding presses. Two more appliance switch assembly lines moved to RELY two years later.
Case studies
Assembly and transfer programs we can show you.
Case study · No. 20
Case study · No. 2110
UL part numbers requalified through full PPAP
An incumbent exited three UL product lines. RELY took over the tooling and the responsibility.
Read the case →Questions buyers ask
Short answers. Full answers in the FAQ.
Can we supply components, or can RELY manage the materials?
Both. Programs can use customer-supplied or consigned material, RELY-procured material, or a hybrid. The quote defines purchasing, approved suppliers, ownership, lead-time responsibility, excess material and how shortages or engineering changes are handled.
Full answer: materialsCan we start with a pilot?
Yes. A pilot can confirm the assembly method, cycle time, quality checks, documentation, material flow, testing and training. Both teams agree beforehand on what the pilot must show and who approves the result.
Full answer: pilotsHow are part numbers, configurations and revisions controlled?
With approved BOMs, revision-controlled work instructions, product identification, training controls and defined verification points. The configuration and revision are set before production, and engineering changes go through the agreed change-control process.
Full answer: revisionsCan our equipment move to RELY?
RELY evaluates customer-owned equipment, tooling, fixtures and test systems as part of a transfer: condition, utilities, safety, maintenance, training, process capability and facility fit. Ownership, relocation, maintenance and eventual return or disposition are documented.
Full answer: equipment transfersWhat do you need to quote an assembly program?
Whatever you have: drawing, BOM, annual demand, order quantity, a sample, work instructions, photos, current cycle time, required start date, quality, test and traceability requirements, packaging and material responsibility. If the package is incomplete, start the conversation anyway.
Full answer: quote inputsDiscuss your assembly program.
Share a print, a BOM, a sample or a description of the work, with expected volume and timing if you know them. A complete RFQ is not required for an initial fit review. Need an NDA first? Tell us and we start there.
Or call 262.276.0050 · info@relycm.com