If you haven't heard, the electronics manufacturing market is shifting rapidly!  In response to the cut-rates being offered in developing nations, domestic facilities are now adding services you simply cannot get overseas.  These can be extremely cost-effective, and add significant value to local manufacturing choices.

Are you still using a "what you see is what you get" electronics manufacturer, who do nothing but assembly?  If so, you could be losing a lot money on one of the most costly aspects of electronics retail - post-sale support.

If you think that electronics contract manufacturers can do little more for your business than assemble your PC boards, think again. Many smaller scale electronics companies choose to work with a third party manufacturer because of their ability to remain involved throughout the entire production cycle. Regardless of where you are at in designing or manufacturing your products, you would be surprised by the level of assistance a contract vendor can offer. From start to finish, you can take advantage of just as much help as you require. Take a few moments to consider all that contract manufacturers can do for you; you'll wonder why you waited so long to work with one.      

Even the best electronics companies aren't free from the possibility of a defect or fault developing within their products. Although major problems may arise from time to time, though, it seems wasteful to completely scrap a circuit board when only one component is causing the fault. Unfortunately, many smaller businesses do not have the time or the resources available to troubleshoot for the problem and make the necessary corrections. Professional PCB repair services can help by shouldering this burden for you. By taking the time to consider the issues that a contract repair service can provide and how it can work to your benefit, you could significantly improve your company's efficiency and effectiveness. 

Although your electronics business has been doing well, you may be feeling that it's time to take things to the next level and start growing. Unfortunately, trying to grow too quickly, without the necessary assistance and resources, can create serious problems. It is because of this that many small and medium sized companies choose to contract with PCB design and manufacture services for help in achieving their objectives. But is working with an outsource operation right for you? Here are six examples of instances in which you should think about hiring a contract manufacturer.

1. You need to streamline your products

Are your current products as efficient as they could be? Your in-house engineers may be knowledgeable, but if no outsiders have taken a look at your plans in the recent past, they may be overlooking factors that could make your devices even better than they are right now. If you feel that your business could benefit from cutting down the parts and materials necessary to manufacture your electronics, you may want to contract with a reliable PCB design and manufacture company for some assistance. Upon reviewing your schematics and existing PC boards, your partner company may be able to point out ways in which you could improve your product's functionality while streamlining its basic design, thereby saving you time and money.

2. You are struggling with design flaws

From time to time, we all get stuck on a problem. If you and your team are struggling to either pinpoint the root of a fault, or are unable to come up with a workable solution, it's time to seek help. By recruiting industry experts, you'll have the privilege of viewing the issue from a whole new perspective so that you can resolve them faster and get your perfected products out to your clients.

3. Your business is lacking in resources

Smaller electronics companies may be at a bit of a disadvantage as compared to their large scale competitors. Because the "little guys" have fewer financial and labor resources, it can be difficult to keep up with the ever-changing market and advancements to technology. If your company isn't able to employ the manpower necessary to create and produce PC boards, or if you don't have the ability to maintain expensive assembly equipment, you could benefit from hiring a PCB design and manufacture service. By contracting with a third party, you can take advantage of their resources without committing to permanent laborers or equipment.

4. You need to quickly produce a prototype

In many cases, our brains work faster than we can keep up with them. If you've got great ideas for a new product and need to demonstrate its abilities to your clients quickly, you may need a professional PCB design and manufacture agency to help you get your prototype developed and functioning properly. Through careful planning and testing, you can rest assured that your prototype will impress your audience so that you can generate future business. 

5. Your production orders have increased

Has your business bitten off a bit more than it could actually chew? If you're struggling to keep up with the demands of your customers, a contract manufacturer can help you to automate the assembly process so that you can produce your PC boards and other devices faster, without sacrificing quality or precision.

6. You would like to reduce warranty replacement costs

How do you handle defective or faulty products? If your current solution is to simply ship off a replacement unit to your customers, you could be losing a lot of money. A PCB design and manufacture company that offers a customer repair and return depot will be able to scale back these expenses by taking the time to troubleshoot the device, correct the issue, and get it back to the client in no time.


Could you benefit from working with a PCB design and manufacture service?

When a PC board fails or malfunctions, are you the type of business that decides to chuck it out and replace it, or do you take the opportunity to troubleshoot and repair? Although it's unfortunate, most smaller electronics businesses simply don't have the time or resources required to investigate PC board troubles, and the process of repairing system components can actually become more expensive than simply replacing it with a new one. It doesn't have to be this way, though. A growing number of operations are electing to work with contract manufacturers who offer stellar PCB repair services because it is extremely affordable and can actually help to lower your costs. Here's how you can find PCB service repair that is budget-friendly and can improve your business.

Although our electronics are constantly evolving, there are still many cases in which repair is more practical or economical than total replacement or upgrades. Regardless of whether one of your product prototypes is not functioning properly, your customer is in possession of a faulty device, or you simply don't feel as though a piece of equipment is performing as well as it should, there are many reasons that one might need to look into PCB board repair. Of course, no one wants to spend an arm and a leg on a simple fix-it job, so it's important to understand how to go about finding the best repair service. By following this simple three step guide, you can easily select a high quality and affordable manufacturer to handle your PCB board repair with speed and precision.
1. Understand Your Need

The first step to locating a PCB board repair service at reasonable ratesis to understand what type of work your product actually needs. Troubleshooting for a major component failure will require a different financial investment than completely modifying a device. And if you already know that a certain aspect of your product needs to be reworked, or know what is causing poor performance, there's no need to waste the time and money required to troubleshoot the issues. The more information that you have about the problem, the more affordable the PCB board repair process will be. Here are several common PCB maintenance scenarios that may arise: 

• Troubleshooting/Repair - If your electronic device (or a part of the device) has failed and you don't know why, you'll need a PCB board repair service to troubleshoot for the issue. By analyzing the design schematics as well as the physical board, the underlying problem can quickly be determined. In many cases, a bit of broken wiring or one component may be creating the problem, and a simple replacement will do the trick.
• Reworking - In the event that the initial design is flawed, a little more investigative work may need to go into solving the issue. By comparing the design specs with the current prototype or product, your repair service will be able to determine which component is causing the problem, and find a suitable replacement.
• Modifications - When the PCB board is working, but it isn't working as well as you'd hoped, a repair service can help you to improve the working design and get your product up to par.

2. Stay in the USA

One of the best ways to get affordable rates on your PCB board repair service is to choose an American manufacturer. Although an off shore manufacturer may initially give you the lowest quote, you may find that things are not what they seem. Many overseas manufacturing companies do not adhere to the same industry standards as we do in in the United States, and that can significantly impact quality. Ultimately, you may need even more repair work down the line. Additionally, the time required to ship your products to a foreign country and await their return will slow down your processes and cost you extra money. Working with an American service will ensure the fastest turnaround and the best repair services. 

3. Look for Efficient Repair Processes

In order to keep costs competitive, your PCB board repair service should have an efficient means for troubleshooting and correcting product flaws. By capturing defects via a precise software database, trends can be analyzed for faster results. This not only speeds up the repair process, but it also reduces the amount of overhead costs, as many tasks can be automated through the software program. Ultimately, this means that the repair service company will be able to keep price points as low as possible to customers like yourself.


Insist on getting the most value for your dollar. By keeping these three concepts in mind, you can avoid overspending on PCB board repair services. 

No matter how good electronic contract manufacturers become at producing ever-smaller and more complex circuit boards, every now and then, a defect  will be produced. Sometimes, if it's
part of a large production run, this isn't a major issue: a certain (small) percentage of lossage is expected. However, what if your circuit board is unique, such as for a prototype or a specific custom purpose?

One of the most costly things that can happen to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is that it could break and have to be replaced--especially if the PCB is old. Instead of having to redesign and reassemble newer components, which will take lots of time and money, parts on a PCB can be replaced or even repaired. In fact, entire PCBs can be repaired which can help keep down costs significantly.