The ever-changing, and increasingly restrictive, regulatory requirements for electronic manufacturing companies are just one of the difficulties that manufacturers have faced in the last few years.  Added to this fact the increasingly stiff competition both at home and from overseas along with the increasing demands from consumers for widely differentiated products, the climate for product manufacturers is, to say the least, challenging.  These factors have led to increasing demand for support from an electronics manufacturing service (EMS) and finding the right firm can lead to a long term partnership arrangement, for both parties.  With several thousand medium sized firms still manufacturing electronics components in the UK, finding an EMS to work with has at least a level of choice to the decision; but where to start when finding the right firm?

Expanding Requirements
While there is nothing new about outsourcing to an EMS, in the past many product manufacturers outsourced the production of a single component or specific process.  The pressures facing the manufacturing industry have led to a new climate and requirements, meaning that EMS companies were often no more than (literally) bit part players in the process.  Today there is a strong focus on a value added services, which includes involvement at the design, manufacturing, marketing and after-sales support levels.  This means that not only is their greater demand for the services of an EMS, but that the requirements have changed significantly.

Sourcing an EMS; a Checklist

• The first criteria you should use when searching for the right partner is to consider the company’s own outsourcing process.  Those with a robust supply chain, experience and those with capabilities in terms of both production and support from their supply chains will be most suitable.
• Secondly, the profile of potential partners should be considered carefully.  Factors to assess include their experience at different volumes of work, the complexity of products they specialise in, and their production capabilities.  Matching your own business profile to a partner’s is, in any industry, a key factor in a long term, successful working partnership.
• Linked to this is the third aspect to consider.  The breadth of experience and the level of solutions that they offer are essential factors in making the choice.  Those firms that offer services from concept design to manufacture should be a priority alongside the choice of methods in which orders can be fulfilled.

The essential ingredients to creating a successful partnership between product manufacturers and EMS suppliers are not dissimilar to any kind of partnership.  Ensuring that potential partners have the ability to meet your needs, have direct experience in relevant fields, has correct regulatory standards in operation will all guarantee a long term arrangement which benefits both manufacturer and the end product supplier.

www.trizo.com offer creative, comprehensive electronics manufacturing for a range of industry leading electronic production and supply companies.  Creating strong partnerships can help producers to stay ahead of the competition, in the most challenging of times.