What is the role of an electronic manufacturing
services company?
If you are an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or work for one, you are probably aware of the need for expert assistance in developing, testing, constructing, shipping, or implementing aftermarket service for your product. Having a trusted expert hand lead you through the production process might be a game changer for you. Your products will stand out from the crowd, giving you an advantage over your competitors.
If you employ a manufacturing services firm, you will not need to engage an expensive in-house team of manufacturing specialists because you will have access to a specialised team of manufacturing professionals. You only need to consider what you want, and the EMS firm will handle the rest.
What does an Electronic Manufacturing Services Company offer?
The services offered vary from supplier to supplier. We have shared with you all the services to expect from any given partner. Depending on their expertise, they might offer either or a few of the below-mentioned services.
- Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA)
- Cable Assembly
- Electromechanical Assembly (Box Builds)
- Contract Design
- Testing
- Procurement and Inventory Management
- Lifecycle Services
- Strategic Product Analysis.
Let’s know about each one of them a little more one by one:
Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA): One of the most crucial activities of an EMS provider is PCB assembly. The product performance and safety are influenced by the layout and manufacture of your printed circuit boards. In order to place transistors, resistors, and integrated circuits, EMS company uses soldering or surface mount technology. Once the PCB is completed, it can route better power and signals through all the devices that are affected.
Cable Assembly: All the cable types, insulation, jacketing, conductor sizes, and shielding materials must all be up to the mark. Engineering, testing, and manufacturing are the best cable assembly services. There can be a significant reduction in oversights and rework, which is very important to meet deadlines with the help of a single, unified process.
Electromechanical Assembly (Box Builds): A good electronic manufacturing assembling company should have the expertise to perform a final assembly for a product. At times, the client can take care of the last stage on their own time with the help of a turnkey process for combining cable assemblies, PCBs, mechanical assemblies, and testing. After this, the product can now be shipped to its test markets.
Contract Design: There is a requirement for a bill of materials and complete component specifications before the product enters the manufacturing process. As per your objectives, your EMS provider will generate all these for you. The necessary software and firmware can also be created in some cases. In these steps, some validation testing is also created, which considerably reduces the chances of unplanned updates to your design.
Testing: Inspection services of an Electronic Manufacturing Service Company can range from basic visual inspection to functional tests. If you want a service as close as possible to the final performance, then complete functional testing is the one that makes a turnkey operation possible. System simulation lies between the two, that is, a virtual test run of the board. There are very few chances of defects, returns, and negative customer experiences with an extensive testing operation.
Procurement and Inventory Management: There might be a long or complex supply chain as per the design requirements. An EMS company will help to manage logistics on your behalf. Costs can be reduced, and consistency can be ensured with the purchasing power from a complete portfolio of projects. Packing and shipment of your consumer-ready products will also be possible.
Lifecycle Services: Customers get end-to-end solutions with lifecycle services called product lifecycle support. In this, the customer’s products get full support throughout the project’s lifecycle stages which include the following:
- The development of a product and prototyping
- The introduction of a new product
- Growth and evolution of a product
- Volume production
- Post volume & legacy product wind down.
Strategic Product Analysis: You cannot avoid component obsolescence in a manufacturing lifecycle. There are several EMS companies providing analytics and recommendations which helps to deal with any problem that arises in the event a product is no longer available as it was made. There should be a full lifecycle analysis in the designing stage to ensure that all components’ sourcing, pricing, and delivery are proper.
How to choose the right Electronic Manufacturing Services Company for yourself?
All EMS companies are not the same. There is a huge market for EMS companies out there. In order to provide their customers with the best, EMS companies only provide a certain set of services. This allows them to master what they provide.
Finding the right EMS company for your enterprise is crucial, as your products will get tested as per the highest industry compliance standards, making you save millions.
A good EMS company is always the one that not only meets your current expectations but also grows with you in the future. Before choosing one, it is extremely important to find out the company’s level of experience and how it meets your expectations. These days, aggressive Electronics is a popular choice among OEMs as it provides the best comprehensive solution for PCB assembly needs utilizing the most recent manufacturing and testing technology.