Eterna Global Solutions
C-52 Block-C, Sector 80
Noida Uttar Pradesh,
201306, India
Eterna Global Solutions
C-52 Block-C, Sector 80
Noida Uttar Pradesh,
201306, India
Eterna Global Solutions LLP provides a structured New Product Introduction (NPI) and prototyping service that takes your sheet metal enclosure, server rack, telecom cabinet, or custom fabricated assembly from initial concept through prototype validation to production-ready first-article approval — all at a single facility in Noida, India. NPI is the critical bridge between your engineering team’s design and reliable, repeatable mass production. Get it right, and every subsequent production batch flows smoothly. Rush it or skip steps, and you inherit quality problems, cost overruns, and delivery delays that compound across every batch you ever build.
Many OEMs and product companies approach manufacturing partners with a completed design and expect to jump straight into production. The reality is that even a well-designed product needs a methodical NPI process before the first production PO: Design for Manufacturing (DFM) review to identify potential issues before cutting metal, prototype fabrication to validate fit and form, first-article inspection to lock down dimensional compliance, production tooling trials to verify repeatability, and process documentation to ensure the 500th unit is identical to the 5th. Our NPI process handles all of this — systematically, transparently, and with your engineering team involved at every approval gate.
Whether you are launching an entirely new product, localising an imported enclosure for domestic production, redesigning an existing product for cost reduction, or qualifying a new contract manufacturing partner for an established product, Eterna’s NPI framework ensures that the transition from drawing to production is controlled, documented, and successful on the first attempt.
Skipping or rushing the NPI process is the single most expensive mistake in contract manufacturing. Without proper DFM review, you discover that a bend radius is too tight for the specified material after 200 blanks have been cut. Without a prototype, you find that the door hits the cable management tray after the welding jigs have been built. Without first-article dimensional verification, you learn that a 19″ rail is 1.5 mm out of position after 50 racks have been coated. Each of these problems is trivial to fix at the design stage and progressively more expensive to fix at each subsequent stage — the classic “cost of change” curve that every manufacturing engineer knows.
Our NPI process is designed to surface and resolve every potential problem before production tooling is built and before batch material is procured. By the time a product reaches production status at Eterna, every dimension has been verified, every process parameter has been locked, every quality checkpoint has been defined, and every piece of tooling has been trialled. The result: your first production batch runs on time, at cost, and at quality — and every subsequent batch is a repeat of a proven process, not a fresh experiment.
Design intake & DFM review
Your files reviewed • manufacturability assessed • improvements flagged
You share your 3D models, 2D drawings, BOM, and specifications. Our engineering team conducts a thorough Design for Manufacturing (DFM) review before any metal is cut.
Prototype fabrication
1–5 units built on production equipment • real materials • real processes
Prototypes are fabricated using the same production equipment and materials that will be used for batch production. This is not 3D printing or soft tooling — it is real sheet metal cut, bent, welded, and coated on production machines.
Prototype evaluation & design iteration
Your team inspects • fit-checks • feedback • design revisions
Prototype units are submitted to your engineering team for evaluation. This is the point where physical reality meets the 3D model — and where design refinements are captured before production commitment.
First-Article Inspection (FAI)
Production-representative unit • full dimensional report • formal sign-off
The First-Article Inspection is the formal quality gate between prototyping and production. A production-representative unit is built (using production tooling if applicable) and subjected to comprehensive dimensional inspection.
Production tooling & process lock-down
Dies • jigs • fixtures • programs saved • quality plan finalised
With the FAI approved, the production process is locked down. All tooling, programs, and documentation are finalised and placed under revision control.
Pilot batch & production release
Small production run • process validated • full batch authorised
For complex products or large-volume programs, a pilot batch (typically 5–20 units) validates the complete production process at near-production speed before full batch commitment.
CNC fiber laser cutting requires no physical tooling — parts are cut directly from a DXF/DWG file. This makes laser cutting the ideal process for prototyping because design changes only require a file update, not a die modification.
Prototypes are formed on our CNC press brakes and welded on the same stations used for production — ensuring that prototype bend accuracy and weld quality are directly representative of what you will receive in batch production.
Prototypes can be finished to full production standard — powder coated, assembled with hardware, electrically integrated, and IP tested — so you evaluate a truly finished product, not a raw metal approximation.
Because prototyping uses tooling-free processes (laser cutting + standard press-brake tooling), design iterations are fast and low-cost.
Dimensional inspection report: Every dimensioned feature on your drawing is measured using calibrated instruments (vernier calipers, micrometers, height gauges, CMM where required). Each measurement is recorded with nominal value, tolerance, actual value, and pass/fail result.
Visual inspection: Weld quality, powder coat finish (colour, texture, DFT, adhesion), hardware insertion (flush, perpendicularity), and overall cosmetic quality documented with photographs.
Functional checks: Door operation, lock engagement, latch depth, rail spacing (EIA-310-E verification for 19″ racks), gasket compression, cable gland torque — all functional requirements tested and recorded.
Material and process records: Material test certificate, powder coat DFT readings, adhesion test (ISO 2409), bend test (ISO 1519), and IP test result (IEC 60529) where applicable — all bundled with the FAI report.
Baseline established: The FAI report creates a permanent dimensional baseline for the product. Every subsequent production batch is compared against this baseline during in-process and final inspection.
Process validated: The FAI unit is built using production-intent processes and tooling. If the FAI unit is dimensionally correct, you have high confidence that batch production will be dimensionally correct because the same tooling and programs are used.
Risk eliminated: Any non-conformance discovered during FAI is corrected before batch material is procured and before production capacity is committed. Fixing a 0.5 mm error at FAI stage costs a few hours of engineering time. Fixing the same error after 100 units are welded costs thousands in rework and schedule delay.
Audit-ready documentation: The FAI package gives your quality team (and your customer’s quality team, if applicable) a complete, auditable record that the product meets specification at the point of production release.
You have a new product design (or concept) and need to take it from drawing to production-ready. The full 6-phase NPI applies: DFM review, prototype, evaluation, FAI, tooling, pilot batch. This is the most common NPI scenario and where the process delivers the highest value.
Import localisation
You currently import an enclosure (from China, Turkey, Europe, etc.) and want to manufacture it domestically in India for cost, lead time, or supply chain resilience. We reverse-engineer or adapt the existing design for local materials and processes, build a prototype, compare it to the imported original, and qualify production through FAI. Common for telecom operators and data centre companies localising their enclosure supply chain.
You have an existing product in production but want to redesign it — to reduce cost, improve performance, accommodate a new equipment platform, or address field issues. Our DFM engineering team reviews the current design for cost-reduction opportunities (material rationalisation, part consolidation, process simplification), prototypes the revised design, and qualifies it through FAI before cutting over production.
Production transfer / vendor qualification
You have an existing product currently manufactured by another supplier and want to qualify Eterna as an alternative or replacement source. We receive your drawings, build a prototype on our equipment, submit FAI, and demonstrate that our output meets your specification. The existing product serves as the reference standard — we match or improve on it.
At many contract manufacturers, NPI and production are handled by different teams, sometimes in different facilities. This creates a handoff gap where knowledge gained during prototyping — the tricky bend that needs a shim, the weld sequence that prevents distortion, the masking approach that keeps powder out of threaded holes — gets lost or imperfectly communicated. The result: the first production batch has problems that the prototype didn’t, and everyone wonders why.
At Eterna, the same engineers, same operators, and same machines that built your prototype also build your production batches. There is no handoff between an “NPI team” and a “production team” — they are the same people in the same building. Every process trick, every learned workaround, every quality insight from prototyping is directly embedded in the production process.
A product is released to production status only when all of the following are complete:
Approved FAI: Your formal sign-off on the First-Article Inspection report.
Locked BOM: Bill of Materials with approved suppliers, specifications, and revision number under document control.
Production tooling trialled: All stamping dies, welding jigs, and assembly fixtures built, trialled, and producing conforming parts.
CNC programs saved: Laser nesting and press-brake programs stored for instant recall on repeat orders.
Quality plan finalised: Product-specific quality checksheet with stage-by-stage inspection points, acceptance criteria, and sampling rates.
Assembly instructions issued: Step-by-step assembly and integration instructions with photographs, torque values, and wiring diagrams.
Packaging specification defined: Packaging method, materials, labelling, and branding confirmed.
Share your design files and volume forecast — we respond with an NPI plan, prototype quote, and timeline within 48–72 hours.
