Electronics Engineering Archives - Page 2 of 8

Top 5 Challenges Faced By Electronics Manufacturers

April 17, 2020 By meiadmin

Technology changes extremely fast. This creates challenges for those responsible for the creation of electronic devices. In order to remain successful in today’s market, electronics companies need to be both flexible and quick. They must also be able to overcome existing and future challenges in the electronics market.

Dwindling Margins

The electronics industry remains one of the most competitive markets in the world. Global competition combined with emerging innovations and technology continue to drive prices down, reducing operating margins significantly. In order to remain profitable, companies must continuously improve processes and become more cost-efficient.

Complex Global Supply Chain

Companies often source components from several different sources. In fact, it’s not uncommon for components to visit multiple countries before reaching their final destination. This creates challenges for electronics manufacturers that must prove compliance with national standards.

Limited Product Lifecycles

As technology changes so do consumer preferences. In order to keep up, electronics manufacturers need to have effective New Product Introduction (NPI) processes in place.

Changing Demand

Consumer demand fluctuates all the time. Economic downturn can cause reduced sales and decreased demand for new products. Alternatively, consumer preference can cause spikes in demand, making it difficult for electronics manufacturers to keep up. It’s crucial that electronics manufacturers have efficient lean capacities in place to keep inventory aligned with consumer demand.

Sustainability

Electronics companies today must consider multiple factors when designing new products. As consumers and government agencies focus more on product disposal and its impact on the environment, companies need to consider complete product lifecycles.

Southern California Contract Manufacturer

Companies looking to create electronic products could benefit from consulting with an experienced contract manufacturer. The right CM could help these companies overcome several of the challenges mentioned in this blog post. In addition to reducing costs and time to market of new products, an electronics CM can also help electronics companies keep up during periods of high demand.

Contract manufacturers like Means Engineering offer a variety of services. Contacting a CM provides access to experienced individuals able to provide advice on a wide range of issues commonly experienced by electronics manufacturers.

Please contact us for more information about our contract manufacturing services.

How Electronic Contract Manufacturing Services Can Benefit Your Business

March 6, 2020 By meiadmin

Many electronics companies outsource some or all parts of production. This probably has something to do with the high cost of in-house production. Even if a company can manage the cost of equipment, people, and the technology needed to produce products themselves, it’s extremely difficult to keep up with rising consumer demand for quality electronics. Unfortunately, releasing just one poor quality device could negatively impact company reputation and the ability to obtain a steady flow of repeat and new business.

There are numerous benefits to outsourcing electronic manufacturing services. In addition to reducing costs and time to market, the right electronic contract manufacturer can also increase the quality of products produced.

Improved Quality and Consistency

As mentioned above, quality is extremely important when producing electronic devices. The right electronic contract manufacturer has the tools and experience needed to ensure strict quality control standards and compliance with local, state, federal, and international regulations. ECMs often have years of experience producing, testing, and improving products for a variety of industries.

Cost Savings

Working with an electronic contract manufacturer provides numerous cost savings over producing products in-house. In addition to providing access to the best people, equipment, machinery, and technology, the right ECM can reduce production costs by reducing the number of errors and re-dos.

Improved Turnaround

ECMs have established relationships with their suppliers, making it faster and easier for them to obtain the components they need to complete each project. This, combined with the ECMs vast experience, can significantly reduce the time it takes to bring products to market.

Specialized Manufacturing Services

Certain industries like medical, aerospace, and defense have extremely strict requirements when it comes to device construction. With these industries, there is no room for error. It’s important to find an ECM with experience and expertise in these industries. This helps ensure quality and compliance with strict regulations.

Means Engineering has years of experience working with a wide range of industries including the medical, aerospace, and defense industries. We understand the importance of creating high quality electronic devices. Please contact us for information about our comprehensive electronic contract manufacturing services.

The Smarter Way to Produce New Products

February 21, 2020 By meiadmin

In today’s competitive world, consumers expect new products to hit the shelf at a faster rate than ever before. This creates challenges for companies responsible for the creation and development of new products. While company innovators may come up with fresh ideas all the time, it takes time and resources to create design plans and bring new products to market. It also takes a lot of people, equipment, space, and technology. This is especially true for companies creating high-end electronic products.

In order to keep up with consumer demand, companies must look for smarter ways to produce new products. This typically involves finding ways to reduce costs and time to market. One of the best ways businesses can accomplish these goals is by implementing the help of a contract manufacturer.

Contract manufacturers help businesses in multiple ways. In addition to reducing cost and time to market, CMs can help significantly improve the quality of finished products.

Save Time

Outsourcing part or all of production to an experienced CM reduces the amount of time companies spend on developing new products. This allows the company to spend their time on what really matter; increasing their business and growing their brand.

Improve Quality

Contract manufacturers have years of experience creating products for a wide range of industries. Through extensive experience, the CM has learned what works and what does not. They’ve refined their quality assurance methods and adopted state of the art testing processes and technology. This puts them in the best position to ensure the creation of high quality products.

Reduced Costs

It takes a lot of money to produce products in-house. Companies must acquire adequate equipment, machinery, people, and space to house and maintain their manufacturing operation. Many smaller companies and start-ups simply do not have the capital required to produce products themselves. Even larger companies find they don’t have the resources needed to fulfill periods of high demand. Utilizing the help of contract manufacturer provides these companies with access to everything they need at a fraction of the cost.

Means Engineering provides contract manufacturing services for businesses across a wide range of industries. Please contact us for more information about our services.

Why Quality Product Design Matters

February 7, 2020 By meiadmin

Companies today are under a lot of pressure to produce exciting new products. Although it can be tempting to skimp on quality in order to push out new products, this can negatively affect your business. Consumers have extremely high expectations, and producing poor quality products not only increases the chance of costly returns and recalls, it also hurts your company’s reputation with consumers. No one wants to spend money on an inferior product. In today’s competitive atmosphere, releasing just one poorly made product could impact your chance of future sales.

Better Products Begin With Quality Design

Quality products begin with quality design plans. It simply isn’t possible to create a good product without having a clear understanding of what works and what does not. This is where outsourcing can help. The right CM can fully analyze your design plans to locate areas that could benefit from improvement. This is usually something simple like a change of material or process. Sometimes, these changes fix a problem with the original design.

Catching problems early can save a lot a time and money in the future. Often, CM changes made to design plans improve the quality of the finished product. They might even reduce the costs involved with production.

Contract Manufacturers Provide a Variety of Design, Manufacturing, and Quality Assurance Services

Experienced contract manufacturers have years of experience working with a wide range of industries. Utilizing a CM’s help during the design process provides access to a wealth of information and expertise. It also provides a fresh set of eyes that might catch something that those closer to the project did not. Even companies with extensive experience creating design plans and successful products can benefit from outsourcing.

Contract manufacturers often provide a variety of services. In addition to assisting with product design, CMs also provide manufacturing and quality assurance testing services. Businesses of all shapes and sizes utilize contract manufacturers.

Means Engineering provides contract manufacturing services for businesses across a wide range of industries. When you work with Means Engineering, we work directly with you from concept to completion. Please contact us to learn more about our services.

Does Your Contract Manufacturer Have the Right Technology to Handle Your Project?

January 3, 2020 By meiadmin

Having the right technology is extremely important when creating electronic devices and components. Without the right tools and technology, quality suffers. This can create problems with reputation and lead to costly product recalls. Although working with a contract manufacturer can help increase quality and reduce costs, it’s important to make sure the CM you work with is tech savvy enough to handle your project requirements.

Equipment

The manufacturing equipment used can have a major impact on the finished product. When selecting a CM to work with, make sure the company you choose has the right machinery and equipment to produce the products you require.

People

In addition to having the right equipment and machinery, your CM should have a full staff of experienced and dedicated professionals. If possible, visit the CM’s facility and speak directly with the people responsible for creating your products.

Quality Management System

Nothing determines the success of a new product more than quality. Offering high quality products improves sales, increases the chance of repeat business and recommendations, and can significantly help grow a company’s brand.

When choosing a contract manufacturer, look for a CM with a Quality Management System in place. Ask potential CMs whether they are ISO certified. Companies that have received ISO certification have proven that they meet or exceed extremely high standards for quality.

Traceability

In order to ensure the finished quality and correct assembly of electronic devices, companies need to track all devices and components throughout production. Traceability is extremely important, especially when creating custom devices and/or devices for the medical, defense, and aerospace industries.

Make sure the CM you choose actively uses a proven traceability system. The system should allow the CM to track every part and component through all stages of production. This type of system provides valuable insight and ensures everyone knows and understands the progress and status of the project.

Means Engineering offers a variety of contract manufacturing services including design, production, and testing of a wide range of products. An ISO certified CM, Means Engineering uses best practices and equipment to ensure the quality and consistency of every product produced.

Please contact us for more information about our services.