-
-
News
News Highlights
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSpotlight on India
We invite you on a virtual tour of India’s thriving ecosystem, guided by the Global Electronics Association’s India office staff, who share their insights into the region’s growth and opportunities.
Supply Chain Strategies
A successful brand is built on strong customer relationships—anchored by a well-orchestrated supply chain at its core. This month, we look at how managing your supply chain directly influences customer perception.
What's Your Sweet Spot?
Are you in a niche that’s growing or shrinking? Is it time to reassess and refocus? We spotlight companies thriving by redefining or reinforcing their niche. What are their insights?
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
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.
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Curing and Verification in PCB Shadow Areas
09/17/2025 | Doug Katze, DymaxDesign engineers know a simple truth that often complicates electronics manufacturing: Light doesn’t go around corners. In densely populated PCBs, adhesives and coatings often fail to fully cure in shadowed regions created by tall ICs, connectors, relays, and tight housings.
Marcy’s Musings: Advancing the Advanced Materials Discussion
09/17/2025 | Marcy LaRont -- Column: Marcy's MusingsAs the industry’s most trusted global source of original content about the electronics supply chain, we continually ask you about your concerns, what you care about, and what you most want to learn about. Your responses are insightful and valuable. Thank you for caring enough to provide useful feedback and engage in dialogue.
September 2025 PCB007 Magazine: The Future of Advanced Materials
09/16/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamMoore’s Law is no more, and the advanced material solutions being developed to grapple with this reality are surprising, stunning, and perhaps a bit daunting. Buckle up for a dive into advanced materials and a glimpse into the next chapters of electronics manufacturing.
I-Connect007 Launches Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest
09/15/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is pleased to announce the launch of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest (AEPD), a new monthly digital newsletter dedicated to one of the most critical and rapidly evolving areas of electronics manufacturing: advanced packaging at the interconnect level.
Panasonic Industry will Double the Production Capacity of MEGTRON Multi-layer Circuit Board Materials Over the Next Five Years
09/15/2025 | Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd.Panasonic Industry Co., Ltd., a Panasonic Group company, announced plans for a major expansion of its global production capacity for MEGTRON multi-layer circuit board materials today. The company plans to double its production over the next five years to meet growing demand in the AI server and ICT infrastructure markets.