December, 2011
www.us-
tech.com Seven Steps to Off-Shore EMS Continued from previous page
is critical. It’s a question of finding a company that is strong in assembly processing, scheduling, communicat- ing and knowledgeable in the way of other product processes. This is important; the company must be able to ensure that schedules and goals are met. This supplier must be able to navigate through process and product issues as well as understand how to resolve issues that could prevent suc- cess. Another characteristic that the lead contractor must have is to be a good trainer. There is no substitute for a person who talks and actually knows what he’s talking about. Also helpful is a transfer team
where each member can aid in ensur- ing that there is full documentation, qualification, testing and scheduling. In addition, utilizing local personnel, from that particular country, on the ground, can provide added benefits. The locals can speak the language and will be the conduit between the source and your company. They also know the ways of the country and will fight for your company.
What Costs?
Fifth, establish a transfer plan and schedule. This will allow the company to determine what the delays are and what are their causes. This needs to be a proactive approach, which will avoid issues that can cause a slow- down or interruptions of the schedule. Part of the transfer plan should include a site qualification. Understanding
the costs
involved in transferring products and processes is also vital to the suc- cess of the transfer. Implementing a transfer will involve travel, manufac- turing start-up costs, piece part NREs (Non Recurring Expenses), internal resource expenditures, etc. That is why it is very critical to ensure that this has been reviewed
Multitest Upgrades Santa Clara Facility
Santa Clara, CA — Multitest, a designer and manufacturer of final test handlers, contactors and load boards used by integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and final test subcontractors worldwide, has re - fined its pulse plating process at its Santa Clara board fab. This is expected to result in further enhanc- ing the high aspect ratio capability. The integration is a result of the company’s anticipating the market trend for chip scale packages, partic- ularly for fine-pitch array packages such as BGAs or LGAs. Leveraging the advantages of
its continually refined manufactur- ing process, Multitest now is able to build 0.3mm through-hole construc- tions and boards with even higher layer count for high pin count, 0.4mm fine-pitch array applications. Contact: Multitest Electronic
Systems, Inc., 3021 Kenneth Street, Santa Clara, CA 95054 % 408-988-6544 fax: 408-988-2948 E-mail:
salesusa@multitest.com Web:
www.multitest.com
and is approved as part of the compa- ny’s business plan. Sixth, establish a site qualification plan and schedule. This should include obtaining quotes, determin- ing if the site meets the company’s requirements, ensuring that test functions can be performed at the site, visiting the site and performing a qualification run to prove out the site. operation assemble product and then performing tests against already assembled product. The tests should include visual inspection, tak- ing dimensions if needed, performing quality reliability tests if needed (temp. cycles, high temp storage, bias testing, etc.) and electrical test. In addition,
the customer should
approve the site based on all of the qualifications outlined here. It may be helpful to obtain customer inputs
before the qual build so their test requirements can be added. Seventh, patience is an absolute must. If patience is not one of your virtues, then you will be stressing out on a daily basis. Issues, problems and concerns will come up every day. It is how you, the company, handle these problems that can define suc- cess. Overreacting, not reacting and acting too slowly can complicate mat- ters and cause delays. So be patient and take the time to fully understand the situation and communicate. In summary, following these
seven steps should provide a good basis for success. As previously stat- ed, each situation is different because each source and company is different. However, following the seven steps will definitely provide you with a better chance for success.
Page 19 It is essential to undertand the
costs involved in transferring prod- ucts and processes is essential. Cost can be an issue for smaller-sized OEMs. However, this is where a com- pany like ACD can help. ACD, located in Richardson,
Texas, is a domestic EMS that has established a low cost option, which incorporates off-shore manufactur- ing. ACD will act as the main point of contact and will alleviate issues that were previously discussed in this article. It will handle schedul- ing, manufacturing issues, the late night communications, assurance of a quality product, RMAs, etc. ACD packages all of this and provides the service to OEMs, regardless of size. Contact: ACD, 1250 American
Pkwy., Richardson, TX 75081 % 972-664-0900 fax: 972-690-6234 E-mail:
Tim.Tsui@acdusa.com Web:
www.acdusa.com r
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