Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Revamp Your Components with BGA Reballing
Global Sourcing Spotlight: Balancing Speed and Flexibility Without Sacrificing Control
SMT Perspectives & Prospects: Artificial Intelligence Part 6: Data Module 1
Supplier Selection Key to Assembly Reliability
February 5, 2014 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Defining terms is always a good point to start, and from a practical standpoint, reliability can be simply defined as performance to both the design intent for the expected life cycle of the product.
When asked to discuss supply chain strategy, EMS and OEMs often respond with something like, “Yes of course, we have a purchasing department.” Supply chain management has progressed far beyond the old school purchasing mentality to become a key component of the modern business organization. We are all just pieces in the supply chain puzzle that is responsible for getting the ultimate customer’s product to market.
The first step in developing an SCM program is to identify all purchased materials (and services) into two categories, standard and critical. Suppliers of critical materials are the ones that need to be controlled; you probably don’t want to spend too much time managing your supplier of stationary and paperclips. A raw PCB supplier is a perfect example of a critical material, both from a technology complexity standpoint as well as a risk level. It only takes one defective $25 printed circuit board to destroy $2,500 worth of perfectly good electronic components.
Qualification Criteria
Strategically, deciding how to qualify new suppliers is the most critical step in the process. Of course, there must be an overriding strategy governing supplier identification and selection, but that would be a whole other column. The underlying tool should be an audit/survey that measures the quality system, financial viability and technology. Audits are frequently based on ISO 9000, which would be preferable if ISO registration is another qualification criterion (which is highly recommended). There should be a re-audit frequency established and some provision for the supplier to provide demonstration of continued capability for the time period between audits. This could be in the form of quarterly Cpk reports, ISO surveillance audit summaries, etc.
What is found too often are that suppliers have been grandfathered onto an AVL because they have always supplied materials, and that no one has ever audited the facility. Or, the only existing control is a self-audit that the supplier completes with no verification (which is probably ok since we all know that no one ever embellishes on their capabilities when filling out one of these!).
Read the full article here.
Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the January 2014 issue of SMT Magazine.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
ITW EAE Despatch Ovens Now Support ASTM 5423 Testing
10/15/2025 | ITW EAEAs the demand for high-performance electrical insulation materials continues to grow—driven by the rapid expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems—thermal processing has become a critical step in material development.
Beyond Thermal Conductivity: Exploring Polymer-based TIM Strategies for High-power-density Electronics
10/13/2025 | Padmanabha Shakthivelu and Nico Bruijnis, MacDermid Alpha Electronics SolutionsAs power density and thermal loads continue to increase, effective thermal management becomes increasingly important. Rapid and efficient heat transfer from power semiconductor chip packages is essential for achieving optimal performance and ensuring long-term reliability of temperature-sensitive components. This is particularly crucial in power systems that support advanced applications such as green energy generation, electric vehicles, aerospace, and defense, along with high-speed computing for data centers and artificial intelligence (AI).
Is Glass Finally Coming of Age?
10/13/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Substrates, by definition, form the base of all electronic devices. Whether discussing silicon wafers for semiconductors, glass-and-epoxy materials in printed circuits, or the base of choice for interposers, all these materials function as substrates. While other substrates have come and gone, silicon and FR-4 have remained the de facto standards for the industry.
Creative Materials to Showcase Innovative Functional Inks for Medical Devices at COMPAMED 2025
10/09/2025 | Creative Materials, Inc.Creative Materials, a leading manufacturer of high-performance functional inks and coatings, is pleased to announce its participation in COMPAMED 2025, taking place November 17–20 in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Jiva Leading the Charge Toward Sustainable Innovation
09/30/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEnvironmental sustainability in business—product circularity—is a high priority these days. “Circularity,” the term meant to replace “recycling,” in its simplest definition, describes a full circle life for electronic products and all their elements. The result is re-use or a near-complete reintroduction of the base materials back into the supply chain, leaving very little left for waste. For what cannot be reused productively, the ultimate hope is to have better, less harmful means of disposal and/or materials that can seamlessly and harmlessly decompose and integrate back into the natural environment. That is where Jiva and Soluboard come in.