The decision to outsource can be a very difficult decision for any business. Traditional capabilities within your organization will be given to others. This cannot be taken lightly. Strategy must be used to have a successful experience. IPC (www.ipc.org) provides a selection guideline for those considering outsourcing their electronic needs. The following quotation from the IPC document, How to Begin the Process of Selecting an EMS Provider, summarizes the serious nature of the decision.
“… choosing the correct EMS company is critical. Making the wrong choice ultimately, could damage or destroy the firm’s relationship with its customers, its reputation in the market and even its standing (if it’s publically traded) on Wall Street. If the choice is that critical, should low cost be the only driver in the selection decision? The answer is obviously ‘no’ – not when the stakes are so high. Companies gaining the benefits of the strategic outsourcing model should not focus on tactical cost reductions but should focus on performance superiority, often called Total Acquired Cost.”
A good match between companies must exist for the partnership to succeed. Some questions to ask while selecting an electronics partner are:
- Is the company capable of manufacturing my product?
- Is my product like other products already manufactured at the company?
- Does the company have the necessary quality certifications for my product?
- What is their historical quality record?
- Does the company have a good on-time delivery record?
- Do they measure on-time delivery against my request or their own acknowledge date?
- Is there a good cultural fit between companies?
- Do we agree on expectations for quality, delivery, communication and engineering control?
- Is the company in good financial health?
As you look to find your EMS partner, we hope you consider MTI Electronics and let us demonstrate how we can help contribute to the success of your company.
Please contact us via email sales@mtielectronics.com so we can assist in the process.