Last week, RBB had the chance to exhibit at the 2014 Ohio Valley SMTA Expo & Tech Forum in Independence, Ohio. While these expos are always a great time, this year was no exception. In attendance from RBB were:

Embarking on a new outsourced custom electronics project can be full of concerns – and certainly items that you’ll want to have addressed by your outsourcing partner up front. Whether you are an original equipment manufacturer in need of a small batch of custom electronic assemblies for your own product, or a contract manufacturer and want to leverage the volume requirements of an outsourcing partner in order to pass the savings on to your customers, an outsourced relationship is potentially very valuable. As you get started, you’ll want to keep the following seven considerations in mind.

If you missed either of the two earlier parts of this series, check them out here:

In Part 1 of this series, you heard about the importance of building a deep bullpen consisting of the right pitchers for your particular needs. You can see that each ballgame will require your starter and your reliever coming in at different times to handle the lineup you’re facing. So… now it’s time to figure out the bullpen of pitchers you’ll bring to the game.

If you don’t continue to buy from us, bad things will happen. That’s what your current electronic assembly provider hopes you are thinking.

Whether you are looking to buy or sell custom electronics, it is important to have a clear understanding of attributes to the cost of a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). Some of the biggest cost drivers include, but are not limited to, the following:

As a large batch contract manufacturer (LBCM), you have enjoyed a high level of success with your business. In spite of this, though, you may have experienced certain situations in which the help of a small batch job shop (SBJS) could have helped you to operate more efficiently and effectively. While you may know that this is true, many LBCMs are hesitant to enter into a partnership with an SBJS, as they are concerned that it will create customer conflict, and cost them money. Reality couldn't be further from the truth.

The world is constantly changing. As with anything, you either go with the flow embracing the change or exhaust yourself trying to swim upstream avoiding it. Why continue doing the same things over and over again when there is a more efficient way? As a small batch electronics manufacturer, we’ve learned to go with the flow and strive for continuous improvement in all aspects of our business.