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July 18, 2017 | Stephen Las Marias, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
McDonnell: We haven’t come across any regulations that have prevented us from fulfilling contracts that we’ve quoted. We’re able to fulfill of our current military/aerospace customers’ needs with our ITAR Registration and AS9100 Certification as well as our Class 3 capabilities.
Las Marias: OEMs don’t fully trust EMS providers with their complete product roadmaps for fear portions of it or their strategy might be shared with competing OEMs that the EMS provider also serves. How do you see the EMS industry moving past this trust issue?
McDonnell: If EMS providers are being trusted with the critical job of actually putting together these sensitive products, then it seems a little silly that OEMs are unwilling to provide full visibility on that project’s roadmap. We take our NDAs very seriously and would never share any information about a product—it’s not worth jeopardizing our relationship with our customer nor it is worth ruining our reputation. In fact, as OEMs ask for more visibility from EMS providers, it’s only fair for OEMs to respond in kind. The more information that we have about a product, the better equipped we can be to develop a long-term, strategic, and pro-active plan to manufacture that product. Without full visibility we’re only reactive, and that puts everyone at a disadvantage.
Las Marias: What are the key factors that OEMs should consider when choosing an EMS partner?
McDonnell: Transparency, traceability and expertise. Transparency: is your EMS partner willing to be transparent about their manufacturing process? Will they openly share information about their supply chain? Quality controls? Traceability: can your EMS partner provide you with the appropriate data that shows exactly what happened to your product during the assembly process—from the very beginning to the very end? Ask for sample reports! Find out the traceability process controls that they utilize. Do those align with your expectations? Expertise: Has your EMS provider built other complex products within this military/aerospace market? Can they provide references? Do they have an engineering team to support obsolescence issues, design changes, or testing concerns?
Las Marias: What current technology trends do you see driving the military/aerospace industry?
McDonnell: Currently, many of our military customers are being awarded contracts for UAV type projects as well as jobs to update current, outdated military vehicles with newer technology. Another big project push within the field is for data recording assemblies that can store large amounts of data.
Las Marias: What is your outlook for the overall military/aerospace industry market this year and the next?
McDonnell: Incredibly positive. We have already seen a large increase this year with our current customers, and we are working on other opportunities with new customers in this market.
Las Marias: Thank you, Davina.
McDonnell: You’re welcome.
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