FEATURE CONTRACT MANUFACTURING FIVE TOP TIPS FOR CHOOSING A CEM
When you need the services of a contract electronics manufacturer (CEM), it goes without saying you only want the best! But with so many CEMs to choose from, how do you sort the best from the rest? David Dickin, business development director at Prism Electronicsoffers five top tips to help make the right choice
Similarly, a CEM that specialises in
providing comprehensive technical support may not be the best choice if you just need a large batch of simple boards made to a well-proven design and at the lowest possible price.
1
. Communication The first top tip for finding the best
CEM is to find one that you can communicate with easily. At the most basic level, ask yourself this: is the CEM easy to contact? Are you able to directly phone the person that can help you or do you have to navigate a multilevel voicemail system? Are their queries appropriate and do they reply promptly to your emails? If you can answer yes to all of these questions then you’re off to a good start but, of course, there’s a bit more than this to good communication. It’s essential to choose a CEM you can
trust to be honest and open with you when difficulties develop because, unless it’s a tiny project, you can be pretty sure that there will be a few hiccups before it’s finished – problems are always best tackled as soon as they appear, before they can escalate into real delays and cost overruns.
2. Expertise and capabilities Evaluate the technical expertise and capabilities of the CEM. Talk to them! Do they fully understand your requirements? Do they ask you the right sort of questions, and can they convincingly answer your questions? A really good sign of expertise that’s going to be useful to you is when a CEM gives you options that allow you to manage your cost and time to market risks or offers suggestions for making your product better or easier to manufacture. You are, after all, looking for a CEM that will be a
24 OCTOBER 2017 | ELECTRONICS
partner, not just a supplier. When it comes to evaluating the
capability of the CEM, the best approach is to start by looking around their factory. Check to see that it’s clean, tidy and well organised. Do the staff show a genuine interest in what they are doing and are the manufacturing processes under control? Then have a look at the equipment
they have in place. Can the pick-and- place machines handle all the component types you want to use including, for example, 01005 and QFN types? Just as important, make sure that the machines can handle components in the format you want. Tape-on-reel is unlikely to be a problem, but what about components supplied in sticks or as loose items? Don’t forget to look at inspection and
test capabilities and, particularly if traceability is important to you, you should also check out the type of manufacturing software the CEM uses and confirm that it can provide the information and detail you need in a format that you will find convenient.
3. Mutual relevance You should choose a CEM that is comfortable with the type and volume of the products you need and that is committed to providing service at your expected sales order values. If you only need small volumes, for example, you’re unlikely to have a successful working relationship with a company that specialises in high volume work.
Figure 1: Prism offers turnkey contract electronics manufacturing solutions that deliver what customers require, when needed
4. Financial stability Top tip number four is to look for a CEM that can demonstrate proven long-term financial stability. This may sometimes seem unnecessary, but a CEM that’s struggling financially may seriously disrupt your project. If they’re perennially late paying their bills, for example, they may not be able to get prompt delivery on the materials and components needed to complete your project on time. And, in many cases, there are even
more serious concerns. You may be one of the many suppliers of products incorporating electronic subassemblies who has to guarantee availability of spares for several years after manufacture of the product ceases. This means you may need your CEM to continue manufacturing small batches of those subassemblies for a very long time, something a CEM that’s gone out of business certainly won’t be able help you with.
5. Affordability The fifth and final top tip may seem very obvious – look for a CEM that offers an affordable service that can be sustained. There’s a bit more to this, however, than simply choosing the one that offers the lowest price for the job. A very low initial price can mean equally low product quality, but it’s even more likely to mean very poor quality service or unexpected price and delivery variations! Look for good communications,
technical expertise and capability, mutual relevance, financial stability and genuine affordability. Choose a CEM on the basis of these top tips and you will be well on the way to establishing a mutually profitable working relationship.
Prism Electronics
www.prism-electronics.com T: 01480 462225
/ ELECTRONICS
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