Managing faster lead times at the lowest cost possible has always been a challenge for manufacturers internationally. And the sudden lockdown protocols due to the COVID-19 virus have made matters even worse. The reasons for the same revolve around the sudden jump in demand for online delivery services as millions of people have resorted to online shopping of various goods and services. Furthermore, the increasing capital demands of original equipment manufacturing companies and the intricacies of adopting the latest connected technologies for better shop floor efficiencies continue to be industry-wide challenges. Circumventing these complications is not an easy task, and the current state of affairs across the globe further aggravates the problem. However, there is one manufacturing company, Kaertech, that withstood the effects of the pandemic and continued to serve its clients with minimal downtime. “Many manufacturers in the marketplace had to shut down their operations for several months at a stretch but we only stopped production for two days,” adds Mickaël Bouffaut, founder and CEO of Kaertech. After the various lockdown protocols were issued, Bouffaut and his team of versatile and experienced engineering staff quickly analyzed the situation, understood what the government expected of them, and adapted to the new requirements as innovatively as possible. The company focused all its efforts toward supporting its clients with the latest in advanced manufacturing to improve their product designs affordably. Additionally, Kaertech was also successful in implementing the best and safest workflow practices, allowing its employees to operate effectively with no unwarranted downtime.

The company then immediately focused its attention toward solving the logistics to ensure that its clients experienced no inconveniences and received their orders on time; speed is of the essence in today’s hyperconnected, globalized marketplace. Kaertech understands this better than anyone else and has proven it through its efforts during a worldwide pandemic.

We utilize the newest manufacturing equipment, combined with our in-house shop floor solutions, to provide our clients with real-time visibility of their product’s lifecycle

A Manufacturing Talent for Connected Devices

Founded in 2009, Kaertech is a part of Baracoda Group and focuses on providing turnkey solutions for product design along with advanced manufacturing competencies. It strives to deliver an end-to-end customer experience (CX), where clients receive all the assistance they would require in one, single location. The company specializes in mass-producing digital products that integrate connective technologies like Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE), Bluetooth, RFID, WIFI, LTE, 5G, LORA, Sigfox, ANT+, and GPS, among many others. “The biggest trends today revolve around Internet of Things (IoT). Everything is expected to be wirelessly connected, and we have very strong experiences in developing wireless products,” expresses Bouffaut.

The company additionally supports enterprises with systems and electrical design expertise, whereby its vast team of architects and engineers from various parts of the world creates a holistic CX. They provide comprehensive support during the early development stages of a product, refining and optimizing its design for best performance. “By being involved in the product development, we can contribute by defining the best architecture for their products,” states Bouffaut. The CEO and his team possess the expertise to propose the relevant components to effectuate an easily manufacturable device at the correct price point, with extremely comfortable lead times and no compromises on quality and reliability. And with its rapid prototyping capabilities, the company readily takes on bulk orders to manufacture high-quality and ISO9001, ISO13485, and SMETA 4 Pillars certified components.

“We utilize the newest manufacturing equipment, combined with our in-house shop floor solutions, to provide our clients with real-time visibility of their product’s lifecycle,” explains Bouffaut.

Kaertech also boasts a full system integration assembly line with surface-mount technology capabilities to showcase its advanced manufacturing competencies.

Improving on Existing Designs for Better Overall Performance

To further elaborate on the company’s abilities and versatility to deliver A-grade devices, Bouffaut shares the case study of Propel, a developer of orthodontic and dental products. The client wanted to acquire an FDA-approved, easy-to-use home tool that had high- frequency vibration to accelerate orthodontic tooth movement and increase predictability in just five minutes. “This device was also expected to connect to a smartphone, allowing users to monitor the device’s usage. Propel was successful in procuring its design and began manufacturing in extremely small volumes. However, the client wanted to increase production while lowering costs.

At this juncture, Propel reached out to Kaertech to meet their desired objectives. Bouffaut’s expert teams analyzed the product’s design and proposed equivalent components to reduce the lead time and price. They then adjusted its mechanical designs and made a new plastic injection tool that passed all automated printed circuit board assembly tests to ensure no possible defects. In less than six months, during the pandemic, the client’s product was ready to be manufactured with full compliance.

The Road Ahead

Kaertech’s resilience and expertise have helped many companies like Propel successfully perform in their respective marketplaces with expeditious lead times. Relying on its ability to perfectly understand the purpose of a client’s design requests, the company, and its team members aim to apply all their electrical and manufacturing knowledge toward improving the architecture of the product to drive maximum profit. And the company today has a new focus: healthtech, and this goes for its affiliate Baracoda Group as well. Connected devices in the realm of healthcare have become a niche market of itself with sensor technologies witnessing significant research and development. Kaertech is set to help OEMs all across the world in developing groundbreaking medical devices, consequently supporting healthcare professionals in improving patient care delivery. Moving forward, the company intends to drive innovation internally while continuing to deliver high-quality services to organizations in any industry.