Tips for Eliminating Inefficiency in Outsourced Manufacturing

In a perfect world, outsourcing electronics manufacturing would be as simple as buying a fabricated part. However, the complexity of outsourcing manufacturing is rarely a perfect world scenario. The added complexity of bills of materials (BOMs) with hundreds of parts, narrow process windows, variable forecasts and supply chain constraints drive the need for a much more aligned working relationship. This whitepaper looks at the outsourcing process and discusses key areas and points of value that teams outsourcing production should consider. Special consideration is given to the logistics challenges that may be present in the mass installation settings common in the large-scale renewable energy sector.

These areas include:

• Initial documentation
• Contract manufacturer improvement recommendations
• Price vs. total cost
• Specialized logistics considerations
• Evolving project requirements.

Read the full whitepaper here.

Communicating the Benefits of DFM

Most medium-to-high volume electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers design their new product introduction (NPI) process to identify issues in printed circuit board (PCB) layout, overall product design or process flow that create defect opportunities. Unfortunately, a key challenge in the EMS industry is convincing customers to adopt those recommendations. Additionally, some design or process issues escape NPI or pilot production, not becoming evident until a product is running at full volume. SigmaTron International’s team in its Acuña, Mexico, facility is working to change those dynamics one customer at a time.

The NPI process does include design for manufacturability (DfM) recommendations. The pilot run of 10 to 30 pieces is reviewed by the facility’s engineering team to determine any issues. When issues are identified, they are communicated to the customer in a document that includes photos along with recommendations on how best to improve the process. Not all customers respond to these recommendations, however.

This year, the team began adding an enhanced communication process on a customer-by-customer basis to better make the case for adopting design recommendations. They started with the most complex product, and plan to focus on all products where this type of approach may be beneficial. The process is based on Deming’s Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle of improvement. Within the cycle, defects are identified, potential root causes are analyzed until the correct root cause becomes apparent, a corrective action is implemented, and then the results are validated to ensure the corrective action solved the problem.

Read the full article here.