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?

In other posts we have explored the many ways in which contract electronic manufacturers are able to benefit businesses like your own, but what if we were to tell you that these operations also play a vital role in stimulating the American economy? In fact, these two points go hand-in-hand with one another. When contract manufacturers are able to assist electronics companies with their design and manufacturing processes, they actually contribute significantly to the economy. Here's a look at how contracted manufacturing companies do their part to help the USA.

You have a lot of choices in the world today when you're looking for a company to handle your PCB design and manufacture. It's easier than ever, in fact, to bring a new electronic product to market, with the right electronics design and production firm as your partner.But, that's the thing: design AND production. Many of the more inexpensive manufacturers in the world only offer pure manufacturing services. That is to say, they will take the exact design you hand them and do their best to produce items exactly to spec, no more and no less. And, unfortunately, sometimes it can be quite a bit less, as even major manufacturers have had significant setbacks due to errors in overseas production.If there's an error in your initial design, you won't know about it until much later. If they get your design wrong, it can be even more disastrous.However, if you choose a PCB design and manufacture firm that offers full end-to-end support for your electronics manufacturing needs, you may be paying a little more up-front... but it will pay off in time saved, stress prevented and, very often, a simply better product.

We've said this before and we'll undoubtedly say it again, but in our view, the days of being able to get away with solely selling cheap electronics manufactured overseas are dying. While we've discussed many of the problems with offshoring, when it comes down to it, a great many of them boil down to a lack of quality in their PCB design and manufacture, and the problems those cause for you.