Why You Need More Than Electronic Manufacturing Services: The Importance of Service and Delivery

It’s not uncommon for electronics firms to look at SMT and PCB firms – and their bids – with the assumption that they are simply comparing rates on contract manufacturers and assembly. In other words, they want to find out what the costs will be from a few different vendors, and then make a good bottom line decision.

This approach makes sense, but it can also lead to an assumption that’s usually a bit shortsighted. The fact of the matter is that you probably think you need electronic and effect sharing services, when what you probably want is something a bit more.

Service and Delivery Matter More Than You Think

As the old Axiom always reminds us, time is money. That’s true in most parts of life, but especially in electronics manufacturing, where a delay of even a few hours can cost you tens of thousands of dollars — and a defective product can be even worse.

For that reason, having an electronic manufacturing vendor with the lowest rates is great, but only if it is not at the expense of service, delivery, another bottom-line considerations.

The Fine Print and Company’s Reputation are Always Part of the Quote

Of course, these are issues they probably already understand intuitively, and possibly have worked through several times in the past. So why do so many owners and managers get stuck with the wrong electronic assembly vendor?

Most often, it’s because they either get lost in the details of different SMT in PCB assembly bids, or because they don’t know the right questions to ask.

To help you avoid making the same mistakes, are a few things you might want to know before choosing an electronics assembly partner:

  • Whether their bid includes different delivery options, and to which regions
  • If service on SMT or PCB boards is included in the price
  • Whether custom SMT designs can be generated to your specifications
  • What sort of production capacity the firm is capable of
  • The average time needed to respond to a pay service call
  • If the firm has similar clients you can check as a reference

Having these answers won’t necessarily save you from choosing the wrong vendor, but they can go a long way towards helping you make an obvious mistake.

If you need SMT design and assembly, and want a reliable partner to work with in New York, Boston, Montreal, or Toronto, click here to contact SMT-ASSY today!