Jabil Innovation Acceleration Services Help Customers Bring Products to Market Faster at Reduced Cost

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Jabil Circuit Inc. is enhancing the value of its end-to-end manufacturing solutions through the introduction of new Innovation Acceleration Services that compress the entire product lifecycle—from gathering user insights and needs to shortening the path to commercialization. These services enable customers to respond faster to changing product and market demands while reducing risks and costs associated with design, supply chain, manufacturing and compliance challenges.

"Innovating at the speed of digital requires continual application of new technologies, automation, analytics and manufacturing know-how," says Bill Muir, chief operating officer at Jabil. "We're developing a complete ecosystem of digital connections to create new business opportunities, improve experiences and deliver added value, from start to finish."

To help customers compete more effectively in the digital economy, Jabil offers:

• Digital Prototype Lab (DPL) and associated services to deliver unmatched speed-to-innovation;
• Managed Supply Chain Services to improve supply chain visibility and mitigate risk;
• Managed Procurement Services to boost purchasing efficiencies and drive cost savings;
• 3D printing and additive manufacturing services to accelerate new product introductions for large-scale production.

Driving the digital journey

The Radius DPL is a full-service, rapid prototyping facility led by Radius, an innovation and development consulting firm acquired by Jabil in 2012. The DPL adds competitive value to customers with complete user insight, design, build, analysis and testing services offered under one roof. A cross-functional team drives unmatched concept and UX/UI development, speed-to-innovation, digital service delivery design and go-to-market capabilities. The DPL is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment, including 3D printing; CT scanning; 5-axis CNC machining; finish, paint and assembly; and clean room and testing facilities. Integrated Radius strategy, research, design, engineering and implementation services rapidly iterate, build and test innovative customer ideas, enabling proof-of-concept models to be produced in as little as five weeks when it typically requires 12 to 26 weeks.

Increasing supply chain/procurement visibility and value

Powered by Jabil's InControl Intelligent Digital Supply Chain and Procurement Intelligence Platform, new managed services take advantage of Jabil's industry and domain expertise, orchestrating over 700,000 parts across a global network of more than 17,000 suppliers sourced from more than 30 countries. With Jabil's Procurement Services, organizations gain access to proven purchasing strategies, advanced sourcing capabilities, as well as execution and purchasing support to achieve Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) leadership. The services are amplified by Jabil's global spend of more than $15 billion annually across a diverse set of products and applications in the industrial, energy, automotive, communication, consumer and healthcare industries.

In addition, the new Supply Chain Services enable customers to reduce supply chain risk and increase visibility while improving supply chain speed and agility. To optimize supply chain networks, Jabil assimilates structured and unstructured data to allow user-defined scenario planning and network optimization modeling. This provides insights and expedited responses to changes in demand patterns, supply sources, tax laws, currencies, etc. Additionally, Jabil's Managed Compliance and Conflict Minerals Service addresses regulations concerning conflict minerals with seamless access to supplier data, declarations and compliance reporting.

Changing the way products are made

Jabil is also paving a path to the future by defining best practices and consulting services to accelerate additive manufacturing for large-scale production. With 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, Jabil applies extensive experience with the latest 3D printing technologies, backed by a half-century of manufacturing expertise, to change how products are made. Capabilities include materials development and qualification, process development and validation as well as supply chain integration. By using 3D printing instead of traditional manufacturing methods, companies can expedite time-to-market by up to seven weeks. Moreover, customers have realized cost savings of more than 50 percent.

"We are excited to unveil these value-added digital services to help both new and existing customers complete their innovation cycles in a fraction of the time," says Muir. "Jabil is uniquely positioned to drive digital transformations, creating new avenues of business growth and enhanced revenue streams." Muir formally introduced the new services at Jabil's Analyst & Investor Meeting in St. Petersburg.