Off-the-shelf product or custom-developed solution? Anybody who is responsible for the correct 'packaging' for electronic systems is confronted with this question. Various manufacturers offer cases, subracks and cabinets as catalogue items. Often, however, such off-the-shelf products do not suit the application and costly customising work becomes necessary. Schroff has taken on the task of reducing the need for this and has devised a scheme that makes it more cost-effective.

The challenge is to offer cases, subracks and cabinets that on the one hand are assured of high technical standards, but on the other are sufficiently flexible and variable that they can be matched to a variety of applications. In tackling this challenge Schroff has devised platforms for cases, subracks and cabinets that allow custom solutions to be realised quickly and economically. These platforms are based on a range of off-the-shelf components that can be combined to create products tailored completely to customer requirements. The goals in developing these standard components are, together with a modular and cost-optimised design, a flexible basis for the development of complex custom solutions.

Both Schroff's experts and a range of configurators provide fast, straightforward and applications-orientated support to customers in building solutions from these off-the-shelf components. With its development centres and modern manufacturing facilities, Schroff is capable of fulfilling complex customer requirements and developing new solutions.

Off-the-shelf products are simple to order, can be delivered quickly and are lower in cost than customized products. In many cases, however, the customer will still need certain minor product modifications such as drilled holes, cut-outs or special colours. Rather than going to the expense of developing a new solution, the flexible Schroff product platforms offer the option of tailored customer solutions with simple modifications that can be implemented quickly and at reasonable cost.

The commonest modification requirements by customers were identified from general experience and market analyses. On this basis the benefits of off-the-shelf components were combined with those of customised solutions. The customer profits in this scheme from a defined spectrum of modifications, along with short delivery times and low prices.

Examples of the cabinet modifications available to individual customer requirements include 21 different colours (which can be combined), individual printing, cut-outs and drilled holes in all geometric shapes, in quantities from 1 and ready within 10 working days. The type and positioning of cabling or of external connectors can also be customised. The customer designs an individual Varistar cabinet from the range of available standard components and indicates the choice of colour on the request form from the palette provided. Requests for modifications (cut-outs etc) are indicated directly onto CAD files that can be downloaded from Schroff, and which are then submitted with the request form. The customer then obtains an individual solution based on an off-the-shelf product - fast, simply and at low cost.

As applied to cabinets, one example of a custom modification is a Varistar unit configured as a typical automation cabinet, with two additional cut-outs for air-filtered fans (Fig. 2). Both cut-outs are situated in the rear door. Additionally the cabinet is finished in two special colours, RAL 5012 (light blue) and RAL 7001 (silver grey). The thus customized cabinet can be despatched within 10 working days. A clearly defined system of fixed prices applies to all modifications, based on the number of colours required and the number of cabinet parts that require modification. The quantity and shape of cut-outs does not affect the price.

Schroff's modification service is also available for the standard product platforms for subracks and cases. The available options and the method of ordering are almost identical. Schroff offers special sizes, round holes for lamps, LEDs and switches, cut-outs for connectors and consoles and custom colours, for a quantity of 1 upwards and with a delivery time within 10 working days.

An example: a subrack with width 58 HP and depth 159 mm. These measurements do not correspond to an off-the-shelf product but have been modified at the request of the customer. The same applies to the recessed assembly plane on the left and the bottom-hinged front panel on the left, with seven custom cut-outs. Cut-outs have likewise been made in the front panels, three of them each with a handle above and below. The subrack also features two wall-mounting fixings on the rear panel. In products like this Schroff can impress with an attractive price, the appropriate technology and the required delivery time of 10 working days.

There are always applications for which minor product modifications do not suffice in order to fulfil the customer's wishes and the requirements of a particular application. Such 'high-end' modifications of off-the-shelf products, which may require extensive additional or new developments, can also be realised competently. A team of Schroff applications engineers with comprehensive know-how can implement all the mechanical, electrical and electronic aspects of the customers' needs. As with all new developments, Schroff undertakes the entire project management cycle and provides customer support from the specification and design through purchasing, prototype manufacture and testing through to the actual product manufacture, including logistics and after-sales services. Customers profit from dealing with only a single supplier and a single order that covers the entire packaging requirement. At the same time they have the opportunity to concentrate more closely on their own core competencies. An overview of the process can be seen from the virtual company tours at www.schroff.co.uk/companytour.