PCB Assembly Overseas

One of my clients finds he is no longer competitive with his competitors who are assembling their PCBs in China. He feels that he needs to similarly get his boards assembled in China, or somewhere where prices are similarly low. He manufactures some thousands of a number of consumer products per year. The products are generally not terribly hi-tech, mostly SMD with some through hole connectors. In the first instance, my client would expect to supply kitted components & PCBs.

Just wondering if anyone on here has experience with some cheap, reliable overseas PCB assembly house with automated SMD manufacture, and is willing to share contact details.

Thanks, Ferdinand

You might also try posting this question on sci.electronics.design quite a few people there have contacts with China, etc.

HTH Alan

I work in electronics contract manufacturing and we have taken a few products offshore for assembly in the past. If you want to supply component kits expect there to be delays and shortages, no matter how many extra parts you supply. On the other hand if the assembler supplies components and PCB's the product will be significantly cheaper but you also have the flipside of not knowing what quality or brands of components go into it.

Yes Asia can be cheaper but they can also be slower to respond, and you may have to visit quite a few assemblers in person to develop a relationship and/or go through the product to be assembled. We have taken the attitude that if one of our customers takes their products offshore, good luck to them. We tend to focus on quick turn around, medium volume with the service to follow, something that Asian assemblers are starting to catch up on.

Cheers Adam

Hi,

We build our stuff in China and Indonesia. The problem is quantity.

We use Solectron.

Rudolf