Consumer Durables Manufacturer · RFQ to First Prototype

The Challenge

Weeks lost before the first bolt

The robotics team builds special-purpose assembly stations to customer RFQs. Most of the delay sat upstream of the workshop, in clarifying, visualising and costing the machine.

RFQs in pieces

Part drawings, takt targets and safety asks arrived across emails and PDFs. Clarifying them took two weeks of back-and-forth.

No picture until CAD

Customers couldn't see the station until detailed design. Layout and ergonomics feedback came late, forcing redesign.

Costing from memory

Press, controls, safety and traceability content was estimated per quote. Quotes slipped, and margins carried hidden risk.

Late surprises at trials

Poka-yoke, MES links and safety interlocks were sometimes confirmed only at trials, adding rework to the first prototype.

HMC Approach

Front-load the thinking, not the steel

GenAI went where the team lost time: reading RFQs, drafting specs and showing the customer a machine early.

Select a step to see what happened.

Discover · Trace where the weeks go

We walked recent station projects from RFQ email to first trial.

Timed each stage: clarification, spec, concept, costing, approval, design, procurement, build, trials.
Found that more than a third of lead time sat before detailed design started.
Listed the questions customers asked most often after seeing the first drawing.

Deliverable: RFQ-to-prototype value-stream map with stage timings.

Design · Standard modules, standard inputs

We made each new station a combination of known building blocks.

RFQ intake template: part, takt, cycle time, footprint, safety, traceability, utilities.
Module library: servo press with load cell, safety package, controls, vision, MES link.
Concept-sheet standard: three views, key specs, process flow, Industry 4.0 architecture.

Deliverable: Intake template, module library, concept-sheet format.

Build · From RFQ pack to concept sheet

A repeatable GenAI workflow inside the AC manufacturer's Claude Enterprise workspace.

Claude reads the RFQ pack, fills the intake template and lists open questions for the customer.
Spec and process flow drafted from the module library; engineers review and correct.
Concept renders and the one-page concept sheet produced for the customer review.
Module-based costing in Excel; an RFQ pipeline tracker in Power BI.

Deliverable: Prompt pack, concept-sheet workflow, costing model.

Adopt · Pilot on servo pressing stations

Started with one station family, where modules were most standard.

Engineers ran live RFQs through the workflow with HMC alongside.
Concept sheets shared with customers before CAD began.
Long-lead items such as presses and safety components released at concept approval.

Deliverable: Pilot timelines and refined prompt pack.

Scale · More station types, growing library

The library grows with every project.

Extending to screwing, leak-test and assembly-cell stations.
Each closed project adds modules, costs and lessons back to the library.
Engineering leads own the library; HMC reviews prompts quarterly.

Deliverable: Library governance and rollout plan.

The Solution

The same station, eight weeks sooner

A typical servo pressing station, from RFQ to first prototype. Toggle to compare timelines; select a stage to see what changed.

Weeks from RFQ received · indicative

Engineering stage GenAI-assisted Customer / supplier time

RFQ to first prototype

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Before detailed design starts

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Concept sheet: CRB outer race pressing station for Pearl EV transaxle rear half housing, with front, side and isometric views, key features, technical specifications, process flow and Industry 4.0 architecture — **Concept sheet, shared with the customer before CAD.** CRB outer race pressing station: three views, specs, a 10-step process flow and the Industry 4.0 architecture on one page. Click to enlarge.

Extracted from the RFQ

Output: 400 nos/day, 2 shifts
Cycle time: 120 sec max
Part: Rear half housing
Part size: 375.6 × 306.8 × 210.3 mm
Part weight: 2.02 kg
Press: Servo electric
Footprint: 1000 × 800 mm
Height: < 1800 mm
Operating height: 950 mm
Power: 415 V, 3Ph
Pneumatics: 6 bar

Open item flagged for the customer: press capacity, to be finalised from load data.

Before vs After

What changed between RFQ and trial

Dimension	Before	After
RFQ intake	Read manually; questions sent in rounds	Claude fills the intake template and lists open questions on day one
Requirement spec	Written from scratch per project	Drafted from the module library, then engineer-reviewed
Customer visual	First seen at CAD review	One-page concept sheet within two days
Costing	Estimated from memory per quote	Module-based cost model, consistent across quotes
Safety & Industry 4.0	Often confirmed at trials	Specified on the concept sheet and agreed up front
Long-lead items	Ordered after detailed design	Released at concept approval

Key Takeaways

What transfers to any engineer-to-order business

Show the machine before you draw it

A one-page concept sheet surfaced layout, safety and traceability questions weeks before CAD.

Modules make GenAI useful

A standard intake and a module library gave the AI something precise to work from. Engineers stayed the final check.

Release long-lead items early

Once the concept was agreed, presses and safety parts could be ordered in parallel with design.

RFQ to First Prototype