How to Audit SMT Assembly Factory?

There are huge many SMT assembly manufacturers worldwide. Many medium-big companies also launched SMT lines in purpose of assisting quick electronics delivery and quality control. How to audit and choose a reliable SMT assembly manufacturer from a long list? In this article, SMT industry insiders will give you professional perspectives to audit. In this case, your purchase cost will be smaller in long term cooperation.

1. Minds of Coordination

SMT assembly is only one process of electronic product manufacturing. Under well-equipped SMT machines and refinedprocess control, SMT assembly factory minds of coordination will 99% determine if PCB boards can be delivered in time, quality can be met with target requirements and defective boards can be repaired timely. These added-values will be beyond tiny price difference between different suppliers. Herein, how to audit the minds of coordination? Man is the central point. You can audit through conversations with boss and management, looking at their sincerity and resolution. What is more, you can also know the factory reputations and customer cases through third parties.

2. Quality Control

A variety of SMT assembly manufacturers are earning marketplaces by using very low prices, even with sacrifices of quality, such as reducing QC team numbers or lack of AOI devices to control quality. So, in order to audit the SMT factory, you have to specifically inspect the incoming material quality control at warehouse, in process control, QC positions, AOI devices working conditions and if engineer team sophisticated with quality process control and operation documents. Your product could be perfectly guaranteed only after a complete inspection and auditing.

3. Work Passion of Management and Staff

The passion of front end staff and management will decide high pass rate and conformity of your product, because product is made by man or machine operations by man. Try to talk with management and look at their passion and meticulous staff.

4. Now Give Up These Auditing

(1)Factory scale: unless your order is more than 100k, otherwise any one of SMT assembly manufacturers would finish your job.

(2)SMT machines: unless compacted components (such as down to 0201 chips) or complicated engineering method (such as PoP), otherwise common SMT machines would comply with precision well.

(3)Initial quote: do NOT deny a supplier only because of high initial price, otherwise you probably lose a great partner, because they have strict requirements of quality control, so the cost looks higher.

(4)Oral promises: do NOT only believe the promises, because they are easy to say. Selection of SMT assembly factory is a rational decision, not emotional one. Otherwise, you will come to a big risk thing.

Excellent company has long-term and stable PCB assembly factory, but bad one is always looking for new supplier and playing yesterday story. Now it is time to reflect on our purchase decisions. You can do good job of selecting SMT assembly factory through above principles.

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