Choosing the right EMS provider is not an easy task. It is essential to conduct detailed and time-consuming research to find the right contractor you can trust. With so many professional EMS providers, choosing one isn’t easy. To facilitate this process, it is worth planning and conducting an EMS audit, thanks to which you can directly assess potential partners. So let’s look at what such an audit should look like and what information should be verified.
PCB manufacturing is a complex business from prototyping to error-free mass production and PCB assembly services. The EMS industry has developed a lot since its inception in the 70s, and the best companies in the industry provide more than just assembly services. They often take responsibility for inventory management, material purchasing, or managing the entire supply chain. As a result, EMSs produce significant economies of scale. OEMs no longer need to maintain a whole production line and a massive materials inventory. As a result, they can respond faster and more efficiently to sudden increases in demand.
So let’s check what fundamental factors are worth paying attention to during an EMS audit to enjoy the numerous benefits from cooperation.
Here you can find more information about EMS audit: https://asselems.com/
Send the questionnaire
Before you go on a physical visit to the plant of a potential EMS supplier, it is worth sending a questionnaire to selected companies asking them to complete it. That will save you much time that you would have to spend to get to the site where the plant is located. Such a questionnaire should include questions about the most critical aspects of the future business partner’s organization. Make sure the questions in the questionnaire are detailed. You can ask almost anything there, but a few things are essential.
- Company: Include in the questionnaire questions about the size of the company, number of employees, and their experience. It is also good to ask for information regarding its financial stability.
- Production and experience: Learn as much as possible about the machine park and technological processes implemented at the EMS plant and a potential partner’s experience in this field.
- Certifications: Check what general and specific certifications your EMS supplier has.
- Suppliers: Check which suppliers EMS works with and its criteria to evaluate such companies.
- Control and quality: It is worth taking this point very seriously and asking as many questions as possible in the questionnaire about ensuring assembly quality, quality management systems, and obtaining detailed information on the process control system.
An additional improvement in this stage of the audit will be the submission of the EMS supplier questionnaire in an editable form. Thanks to this, companies will give the answers to the questions contained in it on the same template, and you will be able to compare the answers provided by individual EMS providers very quickly with each other.
Visit the facility
Once you receive the supplier’s completed questionnaires, you will be transparent with which EMS you would potentially be interested in collaborating with. That is an appropriate time to visit their plants physically. For example, a professional EMS provider should show you the facility and briefly introduce his company. Of course, there is not always an opportunity to go to the EMS headquarters. Especially when it is far away or prevented by external factors, such as a pandemic. You can carry out the tour around the plant’s premises remotely in such a situation. However, the visit should not be omitted, as it will allow you to check whether the answers provided by the EMS in the questionnaire are correct.
What should you verify during the visit?
Of course, a site visit should not be considered just an exciting excursion. It’s an essential element of starting cooperation. There are a few vital things you should pay attention to when visiting EMS premises.
BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
How can you quickly spot a good contract electronics manufacturer? In addition to the current smooth operation, EMS also has to have systems in place to predict possible production risks. For example, most EMSs have implemented business continuity management systems and meet relevant standards, including ISO 22301. However, in a risk situation, it may not be enough. Therefore, when visiting the plant, make sure that your potential contractor anticipates possible risks and develops, implements, and improves solutions on an ongoing basis to prevent the unpleasant consequences of such a situation during production.
SAMPLES OF THE PRODUCTION PROCESS
You can also ask EMS for a production process sample during your visit. Thanks to this, you will independently verify product quality planning. Also, you will see if the EMS can meet the standards you expect and if the contractor uses ESD protection and how the assembled products are stored. During this stage of the audit, you can also check:
- Does the EMS provider use Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) or equivalent?
- How does the EMS provider control deadlines and tasks in the implementation process?
- Does the potential partner conduct Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)?
- Does EMS use quality control plans?
If provided with the above information, you can ensure that the contract electronics manufacturer is professional in New Product Introduction (NPI).
Quality control
The quality control process implemented in the plant is also an issue you should verify during an electronics manufacturer’s contract audit. It is indisputable that a reliable EMS carries out numerous checks, tests, and inspections of products before their final handover to the customer. Therefore, it is good to verify this issue before starting close business cooperation. It is vital what type of quality control EMS is carried out and its control and measurement equipment. Based on this information, you will be able to see if a potential contractor will also be able to build a tester individually tailored to the needs of your product. The more opportunities EMS can offer to test a consequence, the greater the chance that this collaboration will enable you to eliminate a significant portion of the potential defects before bringing them to market.
Starting to cooperate with a suitable EMS isn’t just about finding subcontracting. A good contract electronics manufacturer is a co-contractor who cares about maintaining long-term relationships based on trust. By conducting an audit before establishing cooperation, you can find a reliable partner who will not only produce electronic boards for you but will also be able to support you from start to finish in the field of product development, from design to final delivery to the customer, as well as post-purchase service.
