A mid-sized HVAC/R manufacturer outsourced the design of a heat exchanger for their commercial chiller line, seeking faster time-to-market and specialized expertise. Initial prototypes excelled in controlled tests, showing a promising 15% efficiency improvement. Production launched with high expectations for a competitive edge in the industrial cooling market. Within months, disaster struck. Service calls flooded in from distributors across regions, all reporting premature heat exchanger failures causing critical system shutdowns. Despite passing all standard quality…