The importance of PCB in a product or a machine cannot be overstated. Simply put, the PCB is often referred to as the brain of the product and is also one of the most complex commodities within electronics manufacturing. View it in terms of cost, however, and the picture is inversed. Compared to the cost of the entire electronics assembly, the cost of the PCB is quite miniscule. That does not however, by any stretch of the imagination mean that the PCB can be bought as just any other commodity or that price alone can be a determinant in choosing the PCB. This is because the quality of PCB is a critical factor and can result in overall equipment success or failure.
It stands to reason, therefore, that the PCB Supplier needs to be chosen with utmost care. PCB Manufacturer selection strategy will go a long way in the overall success or failure of the product. Within the PCB Assembly industry too, there are a host of new advancements including new technology, issues related to environmental sustainability and more. While PCB Manufacturers are dealing with these new developments, partnering with the right supplier is more critical than ever before. Choosing the right supplier will mean a number of things, including but not limited to:
- Ensuring product performance and quality
- Ensuring quick turnaround times
PCB Supplier Selection Criteria
There are a host of factors that need to be taken into account in choosing the right PCB Supplier. Some of the aspects to be given due consideration include:
- Quality of PCB Production
- Quality of Service offered
- Supplier’s experience
- The market sectors that the supplier caters to
- Their certification standards
- Overall approach to problem solving
Of these let us look at the aspect of quality, in some detail:
Quality of PCBA Supplier
When we speak of quality, there are a number of aspects to consider. The first and most important of course, is the PCB Quality itself. It is imperative that the dimensions are accurate, the drilling of the holes is correct, board warping isn’t happening and other such aspects are taken care of. Any issues in any of these aspects can have far-reaching consequences on product performance and any oversight can lead to costly errors. Additionally it is important to check what the supplier’s certification standards are.
Another quality aspect to look for closely and also to seek testimonials for is the quality of service that the provider offers. This again includes a wide variety of areas including but not limited to:
- How responsive are they to queries
- Can they customize the board to your specifications?
- What is their track record on turnaround time? Can they improve turnaround time if your project so requires?
- Can they ramp up production should the project require it?
- The supplier’s approach to problem solving also needs to be understood
- How committed is the supplier to overall improvement?
- What kind of training do they provide to their employees?
- How strong is their support team?
- Does the PCB Manufacturer USA have experience in your industry? That way he may have a fair amount of knowledge on industry best practices that could help you in not reinventing the wheel.
Of course all these aspects will have to be analyzed differently by each organization as they need to take into account:
- Aspects and practices that are particularly important to you as an organization.
- Role of PCB in your overall production process.
- What are the performance metrics that you particularly want to track when it comes to supplier handling.
In fact, as a thumb rule, the more complex your technology, the more prudently and closely you need to manage your PCB supply chain. In fact once you have chosen the right supplier, what you get is not just a vendor of a crucial product, you have access to an advisor who will be able to offer you a host of industry best practices. The time, energy and resources spent in choosing the right PCB Manufacturer will have a huge ROI in the long term as the benefits the PCB supplier can offer are invaluable. Once the right supplier is chosen and the relationship nurtured, you are likely to gain tremendously from the supplier’s experience in the field. It will also ensure that the possibility of making costly mistakes is considerably lowered.