For Original Equipment Manufacturers in any industry relying on printed circuit boards in their components and products, working with specialized companies offering printed circuit board design is always the recommended option.
Sometimes, OEMs try to do the printed circuit board (PCB) design in-house as it initially, at least on the surface, appears to be a cost-effective option. This is particularly true if the OEM has an in-house team of electronics engineers and design experts on staff.
However, there are several advantages to hiring experts in printed circuit board design. Choosing both a design company as well as a contract manufacturer who can immediately turn from an approved design into production in the volume required is ideal for any OEM. This not only provides a single partner rather than multiple companies to work with but it also makes logistics and production more streamlined.
Offer the Full Range of Services
With specialized companies offering printed circuit board design and manufacturing, there is a full range of services that may be offered. This will include the ability to make suggestions that may save on cost and production challenges as well as increase the life cycle of the board.
These companies can provide full testing of designs as well as quality control for all of the PCBs produced. This is extremely important for the OEM as the PCBs need to meet the specification and quality agreed upon, with the design manufacturing company ensuring those standards are met.
Trying to do all of these tasks in-house is a challenge both for expertise and experience as well as for equipment and manufacturing ability. By using a company with these components of production already in place, the overall cost per unit of production of the printed circuit boards is typically significantly lower than could be done by the OEM.
