EMS manufacturing has to do with different companies or the full industry, which offers value added engineering and manufacturing services to the OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers). In addition, the EMS can also be called “contract manufacturing”.
By offering value-added engineering and manufacturing services to the original equipment manufacturers, this permits them to focus on the main activities of researching and development to help in increasing their organization’s operational efficiencies.
The EMS companies provide different services in a whole lot of areas. These include industrial products such a robotics and automation, medical devices, electronic components like conductors and semiconductors), and the services usually span across health care to the consumer, government, and manufacturing industries.
What are the Characteristics and Features of EMS Manufacturing?
Here are the major features or characteristics of EMS manufacturing companies:
Design for manufacturing
All EMS manufacturing companies usually take note of the manufacturing process when they are designing different products. Whatever they design will have to undergo manufacturing in order to help in generating the end products that meets the OEM’s goals.
A good and reliable EMS manufacturing company has a good understanding of what the product need to ensure that the product moves easily all through the process of manufacturing.
Utilization of very advanced technologies
Be sure of an increase in demand for any complex electronic component requiring some novel features such as precision placement, smaller pitches, higher density of the components, as well as multiple layers.
Due to this reason, the manufacturers are making use of more innovative, sophisticated, and advanced technological solutions to help in ensuring that the process of producing the components comes efficiently.
Some advanced technologies, which majority of EMS manufacturing companies have been adopting include automation, internet of things, smart technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
According to estimates, by 2030, robots will be responsible for about 45% of production all through the processes of manufacturing. Furthermore, AI allows the EMS manufacturing companies to streamline as well as automate the manufacturing of different electronic components. With this move, it helps in reducing cost, increasing efficiency, as well as maintaining the high-quality standards.
Complying with the industry standards
The EMS manufacturing companies ought to observe the present industry standards for the design as well as manufacturing to make sure that they offer the original equipment manufacturer with the components meeting the standards of the industry.
Asides from the industry standards, the EMS manufacturing companies should also adhere to the standards that the OEMs have set.
Complying to the RoHS
RoHS here stands for Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS). The EMS manufacturing companies always take note of their environment. Furthermore, they adhere strictly with the RoHS Regulations of 2012. This regulation does not allow the use of some hazardous substances for the electronic and electrical components.
In addition, the EMS manufacturing companies ensure that all their design proposals comply with the RoHS regulation.
Testing of the Product
Immediately the EMS manufacturing companies are done manufacturing the components, they go ahead to make sure that the components are well tested to perform according to expectations and are very functional.
Management of the supply chain
The EMS manufacturing companies deal in pooling the resources together as well as getting the raw materials. When they do this, they will be able to outsource the components from so many areas of the globe. Also, they will be able to make sure that the OEM’s needs are met. These include the sourcing restrictions, contract requirements, as well as preferred vendors and more.
Additional fulfillment services
The EMS manufacturing companies offer some fulfillment services such as the troubleshooting of any faulty component as well as making the necessary repairs whenever the manufactured products have some faults.
What are the Advantages of EMS Manufacturing Services?
The EMS manufacturing companies offer these advantages to the OEMs.
Reduces costs: When you outsource the EMS services, the OEMs help in reducing the capital investments
It helps in reducing and mitigating risks: These risks could happen in the manufacturing of electronic components. This is because the EMS manufacturing companies takes charge of everything from the design and manufacturing, to the testing, the distribution, as well as the after-sale services such as the repairing and returning, well as warranty management.
Improves time to the market: When you outsource the services of the EMS manufacturing companies, the OEMs will be able to work on some other areas that deal in the production and manufacturing of their equipment. Therefore, they make sure that these equipment get to the market on time.
Improves productivity and offers effective agility: The EMS manufacturing companies help in improving productivity.
What are the Disadvantages of the EMS Manufacturing Services?
The EMS manufacturing services usually creates the risk of the stealing of your intellectual property. This is because when you decide to give this task to the EMS provider, this provider will gain access to all the intellectual property you have.
Furthermore, if you don’t manage it properly, the OEM can enter a form of communication gap immediately when they deal in subcontracting an EMS provider. This could cause different issues like timelines that are unrealistic, no specific transition plan, and no proper internal communication.
In addition, there is a risk that you lose control of the entire process of manufacturing. This is because there is a lack of constant supervision.
What are the Trends in the EMS Manufacturing Industry?
The EMS manufacturing industry has experienced huge growth. You can attribute this to some factors, which include:
- An increase in the demand and request for automotive electronics. You can attribute this to the rise in demand for different safety systems.
- Rising demand for the consumer electronics in the developing countries, as well as other areas all over the world
- Quick growth in the technology of mobile devices. All over the world, by 2020, more than 5.4 billion people had a mobile device or phone.
EMS manufacturing Services Today and Future
As of today, a good number of EMS manufacturing companies or providers globally have been created to meet the increasing demand for the different electronic components. In addition, they outsource EMS manufacturing services which the OEMs have provided.
As of today, a good number of EMS manufacturing companies have been created just to meet the increasing demand for the outsourced electronics and electronics components and outsourced electronics by the OEMs.
A market research was conducted, which revealed that by 2025, the EMS manufacturing industry will be worth around $725 billion at an annual and compounded growth rate of 7.5%. Furthermore, there is an increasing demand for advancements in innovative technology, as well as innovation, which the majority of EMS providers could capitalize on.
Moreover, the there is a need for the EMS manufacturing companies to offer more experience and industry expertise so as to
- Meet the increasing demands among the challenges of the need for a robust management system for the product lifecycle
- Increase in labor costs
- Rise in traceability and compliance, and global competition
- Increase in large investments that are necessary for the support and infrastructure systems. This helps in the management of highly controlled and complex markets such as medical, defense, and aerospace
What You Should Expect From an EMS Manufacturing Company
Electronic Engineering Services
These services must transform the concept you have regarding your product into reality, regardless of the complexity. In addition, the skill as well as the experience of the company handling the PCB design must be displayed from the initial discussions down to the validation of the final product.
SMT PCB Assembly Services
PCB assembly deals with making use of through-hole or surface mount technology in soldering components such as integrated circuits, resistors, and transistors on a bare board.
The custom mechanical and cable assembly could be the best experience whenever you are working ith the top electronic manufacturer. Dealing with the harsh-environment cables, experienced ECMs have to possess the ability of manufacturing top cables for instrumentation, medical, mining, as well as other fields.
Contract Design
At times there may be need to get an expert, and this expert does not exist in your building. This is fine. When you contact out the design, it allows you to take good advantage of the industry-specific production teams and expert engineers.
Testing
Testing is necessary to verify that you are getting exactly what you ordered for before it even gets to your doorstep. It must be a well assembled and completely functional board. If you get anything other than this, it could lead to a compromise in the supply chain.
Prototyping
It could be very expensive and painful when you mess up the rollout of an electronic device. However, with PCB prototyping, you will be able to prevent embarrassing situations when you decide to launch.
Aftermarket Services
The commitment of the ems manufacturing company has to be for customer satisfaction. Furthermore, this has to continue even after you are through with delivering the product.
Conclusion
Your choice of vendor matters. This is because what you get from each ems manufacturing company varies.