iRex Under the Wire: Home for the Holidays

At iRex, we’re known for going the extra mile for our customers. Examples include from-scratch cable designs, locating hard-to-find parts, and providing exceptional value through our sister companies. However, none of these are as appreciated as our ability to meet tight deadlines. Because of this, we’ve started a series highlighting our best stories about some of our tightest deadlines, affectionately called “Under the Wire.” Today we look at a project that came to us from an end-user in the high-end automotive industry.

Watch an animated timeline of how it all went down below and click here to learn about how iRex can work miracles for you.

Here are the facts:

There were 30 separate part numbers in this previously unmade and untested system, with 10 total systems needed.
The part numbers ranged from mid to high levels of complexity involving various technologies.
The unit prices ranged from $11 to $450.
6 of the 30 were extremely complex and expensive cables.
- Each of these pieces took over one day to build.
Many contained multi-conductor wires.
Many contained multiple discrete wires of different gauges.
Many contained multiple interconnect technologies on the same harness.
Only 12 of 30 part numbers were used once per system with most being 2 parts per system.
- One part number was actually used 15 times per system.

The kicker? This was in November, with most of the work landing right around the holidays. Then things got interesting.

From Thanksgiving until the start of December, we made (and remade and reworked) enough sets to build 3 units of the system.
75% of the part numbers had at least one change after work began.
Half had minor but progress-halting discrepancies such as gauge and gender mismatches.

Also, because this order was brand new, iRex was compiling the info and material pricing to submit a formal quote around the time the prototype cables were being finished. Then the bomb dropped – the client requested 10 more units of this system in the last two weeks of December before we could get our quote in.

12 weeks and 2,000 man hours later, the final shipment was ceremoniously lifted into Regional Account Executive John Sansoucy’s car for a last minute, personal, holiday delivery. We had met the tight deadline and satisfied the customer.