It’s no exaggeration to say that 2020 presented a challenge like no other. Supply chains have been altered and the manufacturing industry is only now recovering from the disruption. The landscape has changed and now, more than ever, it is crucial to build a strong partnership to get your products to market efficiently, on time…
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The idea of a “virtual company” is not new, but how it is realized has many options. It has been clear for some time that an OEM would be best served by limiting its skill sets to design, development, and customer service. If the OEM is an expert in these areas, they can outsource the…
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One of our principles is “Delight Our Customers,” and we just had another opportunity to practice it. Our customer makes large batteries, and we make chargers for the batteries.
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Last week, the SMC team was lucky to get a visit from some young scientists from The Lexington School. Learning fascinating facts about electronics, engineering, and systems integration, the kids discovered the intricacies of our industry, showing genuine interest in the array of equipment and technologies employed at SMC.
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From rising smart devices to the need for green electronics, these current trends represent the rapid technological advances and challenges involved in the EMS industry.
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Outsourcing your manufacturing can be a great option for OEMs. This list of questions can help you navigate the outsourcing dilemma.
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Understanding terms found in the Electronics Manufacturing industry will allow prospective buyers to choose the right manufacturer for their specific needs.
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ISO 9001:2015 has created new rules for Quality Management Systems. Understand the benefits you reap with new QMS standards for your manufacturing provider.
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One of our five principles is, “There is strength in the truth.” Now this would seem to be obvious to everyone, and unnecessary to add to a list of principles.
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When your EMS provider is upgrading to ISO 9001:2015 certification, or looking for a certified provider, here are some steps to look for in a smooth transition.
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Leadership takes a stronger role in QMS in the ISO 9001:2015 standard. Discover some of the specific changes your EMS provider will execute in the revision.
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Released in September 2015, ISO 9001 2015 is an update (aka revision) of the standard used by manufacturing firms to demonstrate their ability to provide products and services which meet both customer and regulatory requirements consistently.
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With every manufacturer and producer in the market looking to cut costs, working with manufacturing partners has become a necessary reality in manufacturing.
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The supply chain is the vascular system of your business, and a healthy supply chain is vital to success.
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All companies in electronics manufacturing services hear this question at one time or another. If your answer is how much SMT machine capacity you have for new business, you would be right – partially right.
When an OEM is supplying products to customers but either new to outsourcing or looking for a new manufacturing partner, it may want to fine tune the agreement with the electronics manufacturing partner.
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The successful launch of a new product into the market is comprised of a series of tasks, each of which is linked to the previous one.
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Being “disagreeable” is generally considered a negative term interpersonally. But, how about just “disagreeing”? I have a plaque on my desk that says “When two people in a business always agree, one of them is unnecessary.”
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With the everyday emergence of new electronic component technologies, obsolescence has become a virtual buzzword. What is obsolescence? The word derives from the Latin word obsoletus, meaning unused, discarded, or antiquated.
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In February of this year, Representative Andy Barr (District 6—KY), spoke before the House, praising SMC Manufacturing Services’ positive impact on not only the workforce in Kentucky, but on our nation’s national security capabilities as well.
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QUALITY….many things may come to mind when one ponders this question. What does it mean, how is it measured, and how can it be achieved?
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Cincinnati boasts a fast food restaurant chain – Skyline Chili – that has “spaghetti five-way” – with five different toppings. Manufacturing Capacity can be considered in a similar way.
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When selecting an electronics manufacturing service provider or contract manufacturer of printed circuit board assemblies, you have to be careful.
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Taking care of your customers is obviously a big deal, but companies approach it in different ways. Some say “The customer is always right.”
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With rapid growth in the technology sector, many EMS providers are radically underprepared for adapting to needed manufacturing processes, and exposed to huge risk by forsaking visibility into their supply chain.
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In his book, “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen Covey used the term, “deposits in your emotional bank account”.
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Our inaugural list of the Top 10 EMS Providers in USA Southeast for 2015 in no particular order. We define USA Southeast as Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.
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In their book, One Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson coined the term “Catch people doing something right” – the opposite of the typical approach to negative management.
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As one of our five principles, this is very strongly worded – for good reason. In any company, but especially in a small company, having the right chemistry is critical for success.
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Two trends make choosing the right EMS provider crucial: a short product life cycle and mass customization.
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Electronic manufacturing services (EMS) is a term used for companies that test, manufacture, distribute, and provide return/repair services for electronic components and assemblies for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
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An EMS provider can help to minimize and share risks, but choosing the wrong EMS provider can result in increased risk as well as far more detrimental results.
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The challenges of bringing a new product to market are greater than they were three years ago. Now, the costs of a new product launch are higher. Innovation has become more targeted, and supply chain complexity has risen.
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EMS is a low-margin industry, and overhead cost must be reduced through the most efficient practices. Complexity in this rapidly growing industry is a constant battle for many reasons, which we’ll discuss here. These complexities arise from different sources and must be dealt with efficiently and quickly.
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Over a product’s lifecycle, many OEMs’ sourcing teams require a variety of support involving both business and engineering facets. During product design, these requirements may include providing real-world engineering that takes into consideration the availability of parts, manufacturing, testing and quality.
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Well into the mid-1990s, conventional outsourcing served electronics OEMs well. Demand was more predictable. Competition wasn’t as fierce. Products were simpler. However, things have changed.
Over the past few decades, strategic outsourcing has established itself as a powerful force in North American business. Almost every business element from human resources to accounting to information technology to manufacturing is a candidate for strategic outsourcing. The electronics manufacturing services industry (EMS) has been the prime beneficiary of the leap to strategic outsourcing.
Outsourcing your manufacturing to an EMS provider sounds fantastic. The benefits are difficult to disregard: cutting overheads, boosting efficiency, and the chance to focus on your most important business areas. This post discusses the mitigation of the risks of this highly-desirable election.
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Finding the ideal EMS provider is a strategic process. Changing EMS partners can be costly in time, effort and funds. Making the right choice in the beginning, even if it isn’t the least expensive option, will pay off in the long run.
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According to Wikipedia, “The Internet of Things (IoT) is the network of physical objects or things embedded with electronics, software, sensors and connectivity to enable it to achieve greater value and service by exchanging data with the manufacturer, operator and/or other connected devices.
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An Electrical Manufacturing Service provider’s ability to find cost savings for their clients is directly linked to the quality and effectiveness of their internal controls. If the proper processes are in place, cost savings can be identified from the initial order of parts supplied for a project and throughout the lifecycle of the product.
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Principles are the greatest driving force for SMC. The first two go hand in hand: Do What is Right. There is Strength in the Truth. These two principles resolve most issues in business. Their simplicity is what makes them powerful.
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“CES is the new World’s Fair,” said Enrique Muyshondt, president, DesktopFab Inc. This year’s show boasted 45,000 international attendees. In addition, governments from outside the U.S. sent leaders including the French Minister of Economy and the French Minister of State for Digital Affairs.
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Here comes another Audit! Third-party certifications of SMC help distinguish our services, and provide our customers with confidence in regards to the quality we build into their products. This certification was added in 2012 for a Security Solution Product that we turnkey manufacture and direct fulfill to their, our clients, final customer.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided various Medical Device Development Tools for members of the medical manufacturing industry, tool developers and Food and Drug Administration staff.
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Traveling for SMC is always an adventure, and our recent trip to the Design-2-Part trade show in Atlanta, GA was no exception! Atlanta is such a beautiful city, and I have been looking forward to the D2P show for months.
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Members of the SMC Manufacturing Services staff will be attending the Atlanta, GA Design-2-Part Show, a design and contract manufacturing event created to enable high-quality suppliers to meet face-to-face and see new industry technologies.
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SMC Manufacturing Services is excited to launch its first-ever company blog, an online resource for individuals interested in the fields of technology, manufacturing, engineering, electronics and more.
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SMC Manufacturing Services staff are attending CodeAcross Lexington 2014.
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Governor Steve Beshear on Monday joined community leaders and company officials from SMC LLC to announce the company will establish a manufacturing facility in Nicholasville. The start-up company plans to hire 94 employees as a result of the nearly $1.9 million investment.
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Selecting the right equipment for printed circuit board assembly has some obvious and not so obvious considerations. In the world of electronic manufacturing services, the obvious goal is to respond to and meet the specific needs of each individual customer.
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