OEM APPLIANCE SERVICES | Product Design

Hardware Packaging:

Hardware Platforms to match your application requirements:

• Wide range of reference hardware platforms; Ranging from 1U, 2U, 3U and more...
• Pre-tested hardware, flash disks, LCD w/ keypads and more; available for rapid customization...

OS + Application Packaging:

Thorough integration and testing of your Custom OS + Application Image.

Includes options to help you develop solutions using Iron Systems' customized Core-OS platform:

• sNOS: HDD edition
• sNOS: Flash edition

Both editions include open source kernel, development tools, LCD support, automatic updates and yearly maintenance support option.

Custom-Built Turnkey OEM Appliance Solutions:

Iron System can build a custom OEM Appliance solution to your exact specifications, including:

• Custom design and branding of appliance and packaging.
• Flexible manufacturing, order management and drop shipping to end customers.
• Asset and life cycle management of hardware, support options available.
• International distribution.

Successful Appliance Program requires that a wide range of issues are addressed right at the beginning of the product development cycle. It is important that a good hardware platform is selected but, more important is that it’s a complete solution and meets long term objectives. We understand that our customers have a wide range of issues which they need complete control over, issues such as performance, price, custom configuration, proper logistics and order fulfillment, support and warranty, end-of-life issues such as technology refreshment and product recycling are just few to mention. For an ISV customer whose primary business is selling software these could be very tough questions. This is the reason why Iron takes full responsibility as a partner, and we guide our customer through these issues by planning and providing information before hand. Our partnership is meant to provide the type of services to our ISV customers that they think of us as an extension to their operations, where Iron is "a virtual extension" to their organization.

Design & Engineering Services:
Iron Systems is a full service manufacturer providing an extensive range of value-added services from design engineering to project management lifecycle. Flexible service options can be customized to meet the requirements of a specific platform application or a long term integration project. Our experienced design engineers, technicians and field application engineers design high reliability solutions based on Intel architecture and roadmaps. Through adherence to ISO 9001 , customers are assured of quality designed systems that meet stringent industry and international compliance regulations. Iron provides specialized service offerings based on your application requirements in the areas of Appliance Product Realization, Application Analysis, Program Specifications, High-Level Requirements, Design Plan, Sourcing, Assembly, Integration, Configuration Management, Software Image Loading, Branding, Prototyping, Support Plan, Work Instructions, First Article, Customized Documentation, Performance Tuning, Test Procedures, Asset Tagging.

Key Services - Summary and Benefits:

• Server-Appliance Design: Iron offers full product design services for OEMs with a focus on delivering flexible solution choices and innovative technologies for extreme performance, outstanding scalability, reliability and security. Iron specializes in high-reliability server design for mission-critical applications in the areas of Enterprise Class, High Availability Servers, Storages and Blades.
• Industrial Product Design: Iron Systems provides full-service manufacturing design services with over decade of experience working in IT infrastructure solution business. Our design engineers understand the importance of ensuring that cooling and air flow work together to deliver optimum performance. By focusing on designing the right system layout and configuration we are able to keep production costs low without sacrificing overall reliability. Specializing in product design, development and prototypes, Iron provides industrial design services including product styling, configuration layout, component specifications, mechanical design, and product documentation. It includes: Rough sketches , Control drawings , Models, Digital mock-ups , Computer generated color renderings , Prototypes , Rapid prototyping, Materials selection , Component sourcing , Manuals and documentation support.
• Project Management: Iron's design services, targeted early in the project lifecycle, fully assess a customer’s environment and provide valuable information for optimizing the production environment and detecting areas of vulnerability in addition, to system development, testing, fielding, sustainment and training.
• Extensive Design Expertise: Iron provides complete design, engineering and manufacturing services. When a standardized off-the-shelf platform can not serve as the basis for a solution, we can design a system to exact specifications. Custom designs and modifications to our existing designs are Iron’s specialty.
• Prototyping Models: The benefits of Iron’s top-quality prototypes are numerous and their value can not be over-emphasized. Whether it is for proof-of-concept, software development and testing, or to validate a potential technology platform change, a fully-functional prototype can speed the product development and rollout process. Iron’s engineers work directly with customers to produce systems to exact specifications.
• Product Configuration and Testing: Iron offers a full suite of design and testing services to meet critical project requirements. The Company’s experienced design and test team’s commitment to quality ensures a worry-free design and testing experience. In addition, Iron can provide all documentation, submit results, and manage the entire certification process.
• Product Compliance Testing: Iron can provide all documentation, submit results, and manage the entire certification process. In addition, Iron has expertise in the following compliance and regulatory areas: UL, EMI, Emissions, FCC, CE, VCCI.
• Product Rapid Shipment: Iron keeps most basic prototype platforms in stock. Usually, prototypes can be shipped within 10 business days of initial design sign-off. Iron can provide one-stop global logistics solutions by leveraging our expertise in distribution, transportation, trade compliance and returns management to support customer-specific requirements.
• Product Enhancement and End of Life: When parts become obsolete, forcing a re-design, Iron engineers work to ensure the highest levels of backward compatibility are designed into the new system through regression testing.
• Product Quality and Reliability: Iron Systems follows a rigorous ISO 9001 and TL 9000 registered design process to maintain consistency and high quality.
• Time to Market: Iron engineering project managers monitor design process milestones and ensure on-time delivery to project schedules.
• Product Branding and Launch: Moving a software product onto an appliance has serious branding ramifications, Iron can help define the branding of products for name recognition, market focus, and other considerations.

Six Steps to Appliance Product Development Cycle:
Iron’s quality management system incorporates a formal product realization process for taking a new product from conception to full production and post-sales support. There are six major stages to Iron’s Appliance Product Development Process:

• Requirement Gathering:
  Our Product Management and engineering staff works with the customer to gain a complete understanding of the application software and its environment, and to help define hardware requirements. We then configure a system which forms the basis of a preliminary high-level requirements document (HLR) created by our Engineering Department.
  A written proposal is submitted which outlines the planned schedule, deliverables, costs, warranty, support, branding, and all other relevant issues. Upon customer acceptance we move into the planning/design phase.
• Planning/Design: The HLR is finalized with details that serve as the preliminary Technical Design Document and as the Customer Requirements Checklist against which verification and validation are performed.
• Development: Product development work commences. An early prototype is produced which has the same internal components as indicated in the HLR. Some of the other product elements may be missing or different however, the goal is to get early concurrence on the fundamental product under development.
• Prototype: Prototypes are thoroughly tested for form-fit and operating system compatibility. The prototype is subjected to extensive thermal testing, ensuring adequate cooling for all internal components. We also use the customer’s functional test scripts to run “close-to-real” testing. During the development stage we create detailed work instructions for the final production units and design customer packaging materials. The prototype appliance must be approved by the customer, before any further development is performed.
• First Article: When the prototype is accepted, Product Management and Engineering completes development and delivers the first article for final verification and acceptance. The appliance is assembled and tested using the work instructions written during the development phase. Thorough quality checks are executed and quality control documents are finalized.
• First Customer Ship (1st Build) & Production: Production commences when the First Article is accepted by the customer. Product Management and Engineering will prepare and transfer to their production counterparts all material and information necessary for volume production in stages. The production staff will receive training on assembly, test, and burn-in procedures. At this point, the Program Management team will assume responsibility for the project and manage day-to-day operations as well as become the “point of contact” for customer communications.

Moving a software product onto an appliance has serious branding ramifications. Iron can help define the branding of products for name recognition, market focus, and other considerations. Knowing that product launches or branding changes are time-critical and require both creative and design engineering skills, Iron’s design team works closely with OEMs to ensure that all the pieces of a product launch or branding project happen on-time and within budget.

The appliance must look and perform like it was made specifically for the software it is running. From the corrugated cardboard shipping box, to the start-up guide, to the color of the chassis, to the appliance set-up screens, they all need the same look and feel as the application software and the company whose name is on the label. In today’s fast maturing world of high technology, branding is a crucial component in the success formula for any new product offering.

Appliance branding starts with labeling the shipping container and the appliance itself. A great job here ensures the right first impression with customers. A merely ordinary job represents a wasted opportunity that can’t be regained. The front bezel is particularly important, because it will continue to be your company’s visual optic for the life of the appliance. Iron offers a large selection of custom bezels that can be designed with the customer logo, model number, color & texture, etc.

Branding can be customized all the way through to the welcome screens, start-up guide, peripheral accessories and any accompanying marketing brochures.

Don’t miss the opportunity to make your appliance a customer loyalty tool and your brand stand out.

Retail computer manufacturers regularly switch motherboards and interface cards in the middle of a production run. On the surface this doesn't sound like a huge issue, but it can be a nightmare for technicians, who end up with different computers in the exact same chassis having the same specifications (but different components). Worse yet, it can result in a near-impossible situation when the customer tries to upgrade 1,000 systems with new software only to find that systems with different components behave differently.

The problem is exacerbated when it comes to BIOS level settings and other firmware upgrades. OS release levels, software patches, integration testing (making sure new hardware works with the old/new software and vice versa) are additional reasons why our Configuration Management Program becomes mandatory for any project where large numbers of computer systems are expected to perform identically throughout their product life cycles.

Iron’s Configuration Management Program provides comprehensive management and version controls to track and manage changes to hardware, software, firmware and documentation throughout the computers systems entire product life cycle. Thus systems performance remains predictable and uninterrupted even during periods of hardware and software upgrades.

We, at Iron Systems, Inc are totally committed to quality and always put the customer first in all that we do. We have a quality management system that is continuously monitored and improved to ensure that all our services and products offer the highest standards of quality and reliability. The Iron Systems Quality Management System is ISO 9001:2000 Certified.

Quality Policy Statement:

• The scope of Iron Systems business activity encompasses manufacturing, engineering and distribution of network equipment and accessories, including software configuration.
• Iron Systems recognizes the need to focus its business on ensuring high quality performance throughout the organization.
• This commitment to quality is based on effective and consistent operational systems, which are continually monitored. The primary goal is the satisfaction of customer needs.
• Certificate Copy: It is the policy of the Company to meet this goal through the continual improvement of its activities. This improvement is achieved by establishing measurable quality objectives at all levels of the organization. Performance against these objectives and opportunities for improvement are regularly evaluated and responded to using the company’s Management Review process.
• Consistently high quality performance results from a management system that provides clear standards and guidelines in all the appropriate areas of the Company’s activities.
• It is the policy of the Company that its management system will continue to provide an effective tool to satisfy the requirements of its customers, the specifications of the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems Standard, and all legal and regulatory obligations.

Quality Assurance Capabilities:

• An advanced documentation control system (Agile) and operational portal system that will provide and ensure that only the most current documents are being used and are guiding each operational process in a highly dynamic manufacturing environment.
• Use of SPC, a three-stage quality controls process (in materials, work-in-process and finished products) ensures that the clients' quality requirements and/or specifications are fully met.
• Product and Quality Engineers who provide an engineering Failure Analysis (FA) based on the clients' specific requirements and/or coordinate a FA with designated suppliers, or a third party if needed.
• An advanced data recording system and real-time web-based quality reporting system that will provide the client with information about the product quality history at its specified requirements.
• An effective internal quality system that processes roving audits that integrate Corrective Actions (CA) and/or Preventive Actions (PA) that help to improve the daily manufacturing operations.
• EU RoHS and WEEE Directives compliant. This helps to provide assistance to clients and coordination with suppliers.

Quality Focus:

Realizing that quality is driven by the client we seek to acquire success and provide exceptional solutions and services in the following areas:

• Meeting Clients' Needs and Expectations.
• Client Communication and Total Client Satisfaction.
• On-Time Delivery and Customer Support.
• High Quality Performance and Defect-Free Products.
• Cost-Effective Operations and Processes.
• Continuous Improvements to Processes Both Internally and Externally.

Quality Management:

Our management's key focus is to meet clients' requirements and deliver a product that generates a high level of satisfaction. Management will continually seek to improve in these efforts by conducting a frequent measurement analysis, and evaluation of the management of our Quality Department's resources. Such resources include:

Quality System:

• QM Document Control.
• Quality Training.
• ISO Standards Compliance.
• Document Support for QA and Quality Engineering.

Quality Assurance:

• Quality Auditing.
• CAR/PAR.
• Client Quality.
• Supplier Quality.
• QA Reports.

Quality Engineering:

• SOPs and WIs.
• Product Quality Plans.
• Test/ Insp Spec./ Standards.
• Measurements.
• Metrology.
• FA & Reliability.
• Process Control SPC.
• Technical Instruction for QC and QA

Quality Control:

• Incoming Material QC.
• In-Process QC.
• Finished Product/OOBA.
• QC Reports