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One of the most advantageous mechanical gearing systems is the strain wave gear, also known as a harmonic drive. It has high gear reduction ratios (ranging from 30:1 to 320:1), which allow for high speed reduction, no backlash, and high torque, all in a compact and lightweight system. Because of these abilities, the system is […]

Conventional manufacturing can be frustratingly opaque. To get visibility into production status, engineers and supply chain managers typically spend countless hours chasing down information. And when a critical build schedule is at risk, that’s the last thing you need. We’re thrilled to share our new radical transparency features that deliver unprecedented visibility, traceability, speed and […]

In our July 23 update, transit times from China to the U.S. were still averaging 6 days, but carriers were hoping to see improved transit times by August. We continue to work with our carriers to further improve transit times, and we’re happy to report that we’ve seen some significant improvements in lead time reliability […]

Steve Jobs once said, “Innovation is not about saying yes to everything. It’s about saying no to all but the most crucial features.” As part of the I.D. product development team at Apple, I had the remarkable experience of observing this philosophy firsthand. I sat in on many design team meetings where new and innovative […]

What could be more exciting than the development and launch of a new product?  The rush of the experience – grounded in the hope of unprecedented success. Legendary products like Apple AirPods, which captured 60% of the market in record time and the Apple Watch, which made Apple the world’s biggest watch manufacturer in 2018, […]

Countries around the world continue to open their own economies slowly. At the same time, many are implementing restrictions for travelers from areas with high rates of COVID-19 infection. Air travel restrictions and congestion continue to affect freight transit times.  In our July 9 update, transit times from China to the U.S. were averaging 6 […]

As global economies continue to open, here’s our latest international logistics update. Transit times have remained stable since our last update in late June, which coincided with freight carriers dropping restrictions and opening capacity, and exporters being able to ship more cargo each day. Latest International Logistics Updates Carriers have expanded their shipping capacity, and […]

As global economies begin to open slowly, and freight carriers resume service, transit times are improving. While we have observed that the transit time for shipments from China to the U.S. is only slightly improved from 7 to 6 days on average when shipping cargo with FedEx, we continue to see improvements in global logistics […]

Fictiv’s June 17 webinar on best practices for engineering teams who are working remotely to build physical products was hosted by Hiro Shimozato, Fictiv’s Director of Product Management. Hiro talked with Ann Torres, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Synapse, and Chris Evans, Director of Engineering at Cooper Perkins, about their companies’ strategies for helping […]

You can now use your company UPS or Fedex shipping account with Fictiv, which may reduce your shipping prices. To add a new shipping account, simply navigate to the checkout page after configuring your quote and add your account information, including: account number, carrier, country, and zip code. ‍Your shipping account will be automatically saved […]