Contract Manufacturer Selection Process Best Practices

Today, we’re going to talk about contract manufacturing. Do you have a circuit assembly that needs to be built? Don’t have the equipment in-house or enough bandwidth or specialized expertise to build it? You may be best served by utilizing the services of a contract manufacturer.

Contract manufacturers come in all shapes, sizes and capabilities.

Should I seek out a Tier 1 manufacturer? How about Tier 2, 3, 4? What does tier stand for anyway?

should I have my assemblies built overseas or in-country? What about issues such as ITAR? Who will be providing the components? What if I need more than just boards assembled such as design, testing and box build?

To answer these and so many more questions I’ve invited my friend and colleague David Raby to be my guest.

David is the president of STI electronics, founded in 1982 by David’s father the late Jim Raby. Those of you who have been around the electronics industry for some time will know Jim Raby for his work with the US Navy in establishing military standards for electronics manufacturing and the development of the NASA and Department of Defense Soldering Schools. Over the past 40 years, STI Electronics has expanded its focus from consulting and technical seminars to providing training, laboratory analysis, advanced research and development, microelectronics assembly, prototyping, and small to medium volume PCB contract assembly for the electronics industry.

David graduated from Auburn University with a bachelors degree in Aviation Management.

David Raby’s Contact Info:
draby@stiusa.com
www.stiusa.com

The Concept to Creation Podcast episode featuring David Raby:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szJ06lnmXb4&t=6s

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Forging the Future of US Manufacturing with IPC’s Matt Kelly

It seems today, the entire world is experiencing supply chain challenges in nearly all product categories. In the electronic assembly industry, the focus has been within the semiconductor market, especially in North America. Why is this? How did the US allow this to occur? Was it short sightedness, greed, an over-reliance on foreign suppliers, other factors, or a combination of all these factors? What would it take to finally address this issue and are we doing anything about it? 

My guest today is Matt Kelly, Chief Technologist at IPC, one of our leading industry trade organizations. IPC recently published a report on the chip shortage and, perhaps most importantly, came up with a list of 28 recommendations our industry can consider to remedy this issue. As I stated, Matt Kelly is Chief Technologist at IPC and is focused on driving next generation technology advancements and supply chain transformation across the electronics industry. He works within the association’s executive leadership team to identify and develop new strategic initiatives, meeting member and industry needs. He delivers influential thought leadership, research, and advocacy to industry and governments. He leads IPC’s Chief Technology Council to continually drive the electronics industry forward. His focus areas include Industry 4.0 – Factory of the Future digitization, modernization, adoption, and implementation; IPC expansion into new advanced packaging technologies including IC-substrates and OSAT manufacturing; and next generation electronic systems design methods.

When I first met Matt he was with IBM. Matt comes to IPC following a 15-year career at IBM Corporation, holding several senior technology and engineering leadership positions within IBM Systems Division. His technical contributions include 25 patents, 85 publications, and numerous industry awards.

Matt is a licensed Professional Engineer with a degree in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University and holds an MBA in Strategic Management from Sir Wilfrid Laurier University.

Download the referenced article from IPC: AN ANALYSIS OF THE NORTH AMERICAN SEMICONDUCTOR AND ADVANCED PACKAGING ECOSYSTEM An IPC Summary Report — Rebuilding U.S. Capabilities for the 21st Century Download Link:
https://emails.ipc.org/links/IPCadvpack-ecosystem-report-final.pdf

More information on the upcoming IPC Advanced Packaging Symposium: Building the IC-Substrate and Package Assembly Ecosystem
https://www.ipc.org/event/ipc-advanced-packaging-symposium-building-ic-substrate-and-package-assembly-ecosystem

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