-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueComing to Terms With AI
In this issue, we examine the profound effect artificial intelligence and machine learning are having on manufacturing and business processes. We follow technology, innovation, and money as automation becomes the new key indicator of growth in our industry.
Box Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
The Value of Site Visits in Selecting Your Electronics Manufacturer
June 29, 2018 | Neil Sharp, JJS ManufacturingEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
A site visit can be an invaluable exercise in helping you to better understand your electronics manufacturing services (EMS) outsourcing options and to see first-hand the operational capability, procedures and culture of a prospective EMS partner.
If you’re looking to outsource to an electronics manufacturer for the first time, then it’s an opportunity for you to assess whether this is the next logical step for your business.
And if you’re already outsourcing, but are considering alternative options, then a site visit could help you to decide whether it’s the right time to hand over that responsibility to someone new.
In this blog post we explore some of the key questions you may want to consider if you choose to visit a prospective electronics manufacturer in person.
A tour of your potential assembly partner's manufacturing facility can also offer useful insight which simply isn’t possible to glean from brochures, sales calls, websites or proposals.
While a site visit doesn’t constitute in itself a full site audit, it can form a vital element of the stringent research process that will help to guide your outsourcing decisions.
If you're at the stage of having short-listed several prospective suppliers, then you’re likely to have already asked them to complete a pre-qualifying questionnaire to determine they're a possible fit for your company.
You'll also want to gather your own independent references and will want to conduct out checks of the ownership history, directorship and financial health of your potential EMS provider - all of which takes time.
Before you put together your Request for Quotation (RFQ) however, it may well be worth booking in time for a site visit first.
Depending on its complexity, an RFQ can take considerable effort on your part to compile - and can take several weeks to be returned by your prospective assembly provider.
So, before you get too entrenched in paperwork, it makes sense to ensure that any potential partner looks, and feels, like the right match for you.
Key Questions for Your Potential EMS Partner
Once you’ve confirmed a date for a site visit, what are some of the questions you may want to consider?
- First and foremost, do you think you can work with this company? Can you see yourself working alongside their management team? And can you visualize your product being produced in that environment?
- Is your prospective assembly partner comfortable for you to see every aspect of their business in action and are they happy to be quizzed on all elements of their capabilities and operations? Is their workforce skilled, dedicated and passionate about what they do?
- What’s their capacity to meet seasonal demands or spikes in activity? Do they operate dual manufacturing locations within the UK or do they have off-shore facilities which may offer cost-saving advantages or assist with disaster recovery solutions?
- Will the people you’re in conversations with now be part of the same team that will oversee production in the long term? If not, then it may prove a frustrating and time-consuming experience to have to repeat your requirements further down the line to people who weren't part of those initial discussions.
While the boardroom, sales pitch and company presentations can help to build up a picture of a potential assembly partner, a site visit can provide invaluable insight and a vital first impression of an electronics manufacturing facility, its personnel and the type of products they build on behalf of other customers.
Your instinct also has an important role to play. If you find it difficult to get answers to key questions, or if the chemistry on a site visit “feels wrong”, then at least you’ll be able to reach that conclusion early on.
A site visit offers a chance for face-to-face contact with the key members of the manufacturing and engineering teams who will oversee production of your products. And crucially too, it’s an opportunity for a potential assembly provider to gain a better understanding of the individual needs, unique challenges and desired outcomes of your business.
Intuition counts for a lot and, when it’s combined with thorough research, it can help you to establish with complete confidence that your prospective EMS provider is the right fit for your company.
This post originally appeared on the JJS Manufacturing blog, which can be found here.
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
05/17/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThis week, trade shows are at the top of our feed, with our coverage of the Del Mar Electronics and Manufacturing Show and IPC APEX EXPO. These two longtime events are almost polar opposites in size and scope, but Del Mar seems to be expanding from its roots as a “neighborhood gathering” with its move into the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The Del Mar show always has a good “buzz factor,” which is something you can’t buy.
Real Time with… IPC APEX EXPO 2024: Insulectro on Attracting Young Talent to the Electronics Manufacturing Industry
05/16/2024 | Real Time with...IPC APEX EXPOInsulectro's Doug Gotelli and Mitchell Benson explore the challenges of drawing young talent into the electronics manufacturing industry. They underscore the significance of manufacturing and the urgency of tackling the workforce shortage. They also discuss internship programs, the industry's resilience amid the pandemic, and the rewarding experiences of working in this sector.
Siemens, Foxconn Team Up to Optimize Forward-thinking Manufacturing
05/16/2024 | FoxconnSiemens AG, a leading technology company, and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to drive digital transformation and sustainability in smart manufacturing platforms.
TRI Opens New Manufacturing Facility
05/16/2024 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading test and inspection systems provider for the electronics manufacturing industry, announced that it has opened a state-of-the-art R&D and manufacturing facility.
SEMICON West 2024 to Spotlight U.S. Chip Industry Investments, Supply Chain Resilience, Talent, and Global Growth and Innovation
05/15/2024 | SEMISEMICON West 2024 will gather industry experts and leaders July 9-11 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco for insights into the latest trends and innovations in sustainability, supply chain management, workforce development and other critical industry issues.