The Importance of a Certification and Training Program

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Revco Products is a family-owned and run EMS provider established in 1977 as an OEM. By 1994, it had transformed into a contract manufacturer. From its Orange County, California, location, over the past 47 years, Revco Products has supported businesses locally, nationally, and internationally.

Barry Matties recently visited the Revco facility, where he learned about Revco’s methods of operation. The I-Connect007 Editorial Team followed up for a roundtable-style conversation with Revco’s leadership team: Greg Gonzales, vice president of business development, Ron Gonzales, vice president and operations/quality manager, Miguel Salinas, quality manager, and Carlos Salinas, production manager. Also joining the conversation was Mike Hoyt, workforce training advisor at IPC, who talked about the importance of a certification and training program.

Barry Matties: Where does Revco’s training and certification program begin?

Greg Gonzales: Miguel and Carlos are good examples of what we've been doing here: hiring for entry-level positions, training them, and showing them the Revco way. They can get promoted to managerial positions.

Our company founder, Dave Gonzales, decided in 1977 that after being laid off for the third time from a job, “I'd rather start my own business and control my own future.” He then created Revco Products, Inc., which stands for Recreational Equipment Vehicle Company. Dave then went on to develop a propane and carbon monoxide detector, one for the home and one for the RV industry.

Over the years, Dave used his skill set in electro-mechanical design to help customers develop their own products. He would lay out the PC boards and/or design a chassis, and then that PCB/mechanical layout would turn into a prototype. Slowly but surely, those onesie-twosies turned into pre-production and production runs.

Dave taught Ron and me to build a customer’s product just as we would our own. This entails grasping a complete understanding of the customer's goals and expectations and then implementing that into the assembly process. This process has now been coined DFM in our industry.

Over the years, we have received many compliments from customers who have appreciated our DFM input, which has resulted in a higher quality product. This approach was shared with Carlos and Miguel who have carried on this process for our new customers. Both have truly excelled in this area.

Matties: As I walked through the facility, I noticed all the certification awards on the wall. Where does it start when you first hire an employee?

Gonzales: It starts with the application process when hiring. We do a phone interview, and if they pass that, Carlos conducts an onsite interview, followed by a practical test on the manufacturing line. We have the candidates follow some basic instructions on a dummy board so we can assess their skill level. Typically, they fall into two categories: brand new, having never done this before, and want to learn; or currently working at your competitor down the street with 16 certifications.

It's amazing how the practical test quickly separates the two groups. We find out who is heavy-handed, who can't read a drawing, and who has difficulty understanding it. They're given a grade, and Carlos will work with Ron to determine whether they will be offered an opportunity at Revco.

Continue reading this interview which appears in the July 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine.