An electronic manufacturing services company (EMS) is crucially important if you need expert help in designing, testing, building, delivering, or implementing aftermarket support for your product.
When you work with an EMS, you are getting access to a dedicated team of manufacturing experts. You no longer need to hire an expensive in-house team to get world-class results. You create the vision, and your electronic manufacturing services company does the work.
An experienced EMS will deliver value throughout the entire product development, launch, and post-launch support process. You can cut overhead from your business and centralize important details confident in the knowledge that you’re getting correct best practices.
Not all EMS firms offer all services. Consider this an introduction to what an electronic manufacturing services company can do:
1. Printed Circuit Board Assembly (PCBA)
PCB assembly is one of the most vital activities an EMS delivers. The layout and manufacture of your printed circuit boards will influence product performance and safety. The EMS team uses soldering or surface mount technology to place transistors, resistors, and integrated circuits. The completed PCB routes power and signals efficiently through to all affected devices.
2. Cable Assembly
An electrical cable assembly houses electrical wires that interface with the PCB and product components. Cable types, conductor sizes, insulation, jacketing, and shielding materials must all be optimized. The best cable assembly services include engineering, testing, and manufacture. A single, unified process cuts down on oversights and rework, essential for meeting deadlines.
3. Electromechanical Assembly (Box Builds)
An established electronic manufacturing services company may have the expertise to perform a final assembly for a product. Sometimes, the final stage can be controlled by the client on their timeframe using a turnkey process for combining PCBs, cable assemblies, mechanical assemblies, and testing. From there, the product is ready to be shipped to its test markets.
4. Contract Design
Before a product can enter the manufacturing process, you need a bill of materials and a full set of component specifications. Your EMS may generate all these according to your objectives. In some cases, they can also develop the necessary software and firmware. Some validation testing is built into these steps, so unplanned updates to your design are less likely in the future.
5. Testing
EMS inspection services can range from a basic visual inspection to functional tests. Complete functional testing is as close as possible to the final performance and enables a turnkey operation. Between the two lies system simulation, which is a virtual test run of the board. An extensive testing operation means fewer defects, returns, and negative customer experiences.
6. Procurement and Inventory Management
Depending on the needs of your design, you may find yourself with a long or complex supply chain. An electronic manufacturing services company may be able to manage logistics on your behalf. With buying power from a full portfolio of projects, they can drive down costs and ensure consistency. They may even be able to pack and ship your consumer-ready products.
7. Lifecycle Services
Lifecycle services are designed to offer our customers an end to end suite of capabilities, commonly known as product lifecycle support, that supports a customer’s products throughout the project’s lifecycle stages, including:
- Product development and prototyping
- New product introduction (NPI)
- Product evolution and growth
- Volume production
- Post volume & legacy product wind down
8. Strategic Product Analysis
Component obsolescence is an inevitable part of the manufacturing lifecycle. Many EMS firms provide analytics and recommendations to help you avoid disruption in the event a product is no longer feasible as built. A complete lifecycle analysis should be performed at the design stage to ensure sourcing, pricing, and delivery of all components is genuinely reliable.
Choosing the Right Electronic Manufacturing Services Company for You
Not all EMS companies are created equal. The market for them is very diverse. To achieve superior service, many EMS brands specialize. They often focus on a particular industry. This allows them to master all of the manufacturing techniques relevant to that segment.
With deep insight comes the ability to test products according to the highest industry compliance standards. When an EMS is integrated into compliance efforts, savings can soar in the millions. Products in full compliance with recognized standards are also easier to roll out internationally.
With this in mind, it’s critical to find the right EMS for your enterprise. A good EMS not only meets your current needs but will grow with you in the future.
Be sure to determine the company’s level of experience in your industry and its ability to deliver a product according to your specifications. A successful EMS will make it easy for you to get your questions answered by both business and engineering experts and will have testimonials.
To find out more, contact us today.
