1. The most crucial aspect of electronic manufacturing services (EMS) is new product introduction (NPI), which significantly impacts PCBA processing and manufacturing.
2. Effective product manufacturing and delivery rely on proper process design, high-quality components, and robust process control and production capacity from the foundry—all of which are linked to NPI management.
3. Electronic manufacturing service (EMS) refers to the provision of manufacturing services for electronic product brand owners, encompassing procurement, partial design, logistics, and a range of additional services.
4. Traditional OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) services focus solely on product design and manufacturing. In contrast, EMS providers offer a comprehensive service model that includes knowledge and management, elevating the service level.
5. This expanded offering includes design and development, production and manufacturing, as well as procurement, quality management, and logistics. Some EMS companies even assist clients with sales and provide product maintenance services.
1. As a developing country, China has become a focal point for the rapid growth of the electronic manufacturing service (EMS) industry, driven by its substantial domestic market demand, low labor costs, robust supply chain foundations, and significantly improved logistics. This makes it a central player in the global EMS landscape.
2. The importance of personnel in this field is increasingly critical. A key element of EMS is New Product Introduction (NPI), which is vital for PCBA processing and manufacturing. Effective product manufacturing and timely delivery hinge on proper process design, quality component sourcing, and rigorous process control, all of which are essential components of NPI management.
3. As the saying goes, “Know yourself and the enemy, and you will never end in battle.” Before launching new products, NPI engineers must engage in active communication with customers to thoroughly understand product specifics and requirements. This proactive approach can help avoid pitfalls and minimize losses.
4. It is essential to conduct preliminary discussions with the customer’s technical and quality engineers regarding the PCBA to be processed, clarifying several aspects:
(1) The customer’s expectations for the PCBA’s appearance quality, such as board cleanliness, discoloration levels, deformation, the float height of through-hole components, pin trimming lengths, SMD component skew, and soldering quality. Due to the inherent difficulty in clearly defining appearance inspection standards, differing interpretations by inspectors can lead to inconsistencies between the foundry and the customer. If not thoroughly aligned in advance, this can result in customer complaints or even returns.
5. Persuading customers to utilize physical samples or images paired with descriptive text for appearance standards enhances clarity, allowing for more intuitive management through visual aids.
6. Additionally, it’s crucial to understand the specific characteristics and processing requirements of the customer’s new product PCBA, including process challenges, quality control priorities, and areas with higher defect rates. Focused attention on these aspects can reduce mistakes and improve product quality while effectively lowering quality control costs.
7. NPI engineers hold an indispensable role in EMS companies. They are expected to possess a comprehensive skill set that includes strong design, development, manufacturing capabilities, and quality management. Essentially, NPI engineers serve as project leaders or supervisors within certain factories, reengineering enterprise processes for effective product management and coordination across relevant documentation, quality control, production, materials, and technical teams.
8. The objective of new product introduction is to transform customer drawings or concepts into fully developed products that can be reliably mass-produced. This ensures that new products not only meet internal and external customer requirements but also transition smoothly into mass production, optimizing efficiency and quality thereafter.
9. It’s essential to promote and clarify the process control points and precautions for new products, confirming documentation and governance tools, as well as addressing any issues that arise during prototyping and trial production. Continuous improvement efforts must be implemented, ensuring the effectiveness of remedial actions, with ongoing follow-ups on relevant measures and their outcomes.
10. New product introduction encompasses the technical management of a product from the outset of R&D through to mass production. NPI engineers are tasked with coordinating design development, process quality assurance, and manufacturing to effectively align manufacturability design (DFM), productivity, and product quality, ultimately satisfying customer expectations.
11. During the prototyping phase, NPI engineers must ensure optimal production line configurations. This collaboration allows both parties to achieve a clearer understanding of product processing requirements, facilitating early detection of potential issues in PCBA processing and ensuring compliance with manufacturability design standards.
12. Monitoring points for quality control must be established, allowing for timely feedback of issues and solutions during the prototyping phase. NPI engineers are also responsible for discussing challenges with customers to clear obstacles to mass production.
13. NPI engineers manage the historical technical records of new products, which are crucial for the correctness of all foundry/manufacturing processes. A fishbone diagram review should encompass six aspects: human, machine, material, method, environment, and process, focusing on PCBA manufacturability design, special materials, and unique customer requirements.
14. NPI engineers must also evaluate complex process capability indices (Cpk) to confirm that product characteristics meet specifications, ensuring the defect rate of finished products remains within acceptable levels, serving as a foundation for continuous process improvement.
15. Furthermore, new product introductions must embrace the concept of electronic hardcover, striving for optimal processing and manufacturing to exceed customer expectations rather than merely meeting basic standards. This approach allows for the identification of design deficiencies, encouraging proactive customer improvements and reducing overall processing costs.
16. The R&D cycle for electronic products is becoming shorter, with an increasing variety of products. OEMs must shift away from traditional high-volume, single-variety production methods, as multi-variety, small-batch production requires longer cycles and incurs higher internal costs, which hinder timely customer delivery.
17. In the near future, a rise in regional small and medium-sized foundries in China is anticipated, as more operations shift inland. Their survival and growth will hinge on offering customized products in varied, small batches, as well as prototype manufacturing. This will necessitate more skilled NPI engineers working closely with clients.
18. The significance of NPI in PCBA processing continues to escalate. Recognizing the leadership potential of NPI is essential; the more NPI engineers an electronic manufacturing company employs, the more likely it is to thrive and expand.
2. Effective product manufacturing and delivery rely on proper process design, high-quality components, and robust process control and production capacity from the foundry—all of which are linked to NPI management.
3. Electronic manufacturing service (EMS) refers to the provision of manufacturing services for electronic product brand owners, encompassing procurement, partial design, logistics, and a range of additional services.
4. Traditional OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) services focus solely on product design and manufacturing. In contrast, EMS providers offer a comprehensive service model that includes knowledge and management, elevating the service level.
5. This expanded offering includes design and development, production and manufacturing, as well as procurement, quality management, and logistics. Some EMS companies even assist clients with sales and provide product maintenance services.
1. As a developing country, China has become a focal point for the rapid growth of the electronic manufacturing service (EMS) industry, driven by its substantial domestic market demand, low labor costs, robust supply chain foundations, and significantly improved logistics. This makes it a central player in the global EMS landscape.
2. The importance of personnel in this field is increasingly critical. A key element of EMS is New Product Introduction (NPI), which is vital for PCBA processing and manufacturing. Effective product manufacturing and timely delivery hinge on proper process design, quality component sourcing, and rigorous process control, all of which are essential components of NPI management.
3. As the saying goes, “Know yourself and the enemy, and you will never end in battle.” Before launching new products, NPI engineers must engage in active communication with customers to thoroughly understand product specifics and requirements. This proactive approach can help avoid pitfalls and minimize losses.
4. It is essential to conduct preliminary discussions with the customer’s technical and quality engineers regarding the PCBA to be processed, clarifying several aspects:
(1) The customer’s expectations for the PCBA’s appearance quality, such as board cleanliness, discoloration levels, deformation, the float height of through-hole components, pin trimming lengths, SMD component skew, and soldering quality. Due to the inherent difficulty in clearly defining appearance inspection standards, differing interpretations by inspectors can lead to inconsistencies between the foundry and the customer. If not thoroughly aligned in advance, this can result in customer complaints or even returns.
5. Persuading customers to utilize physical samples or images paired with descriptive text for appearance standards enhances clarity, allowing for more intuitive management through visual aids.
6. Additionally, it’s crucial to understand the specific characteristics and processing requirements of the customer’s new product PCBA, including process challenges, quality control priorities, and areas with higher defect rates. Focused attention on these aspects can reduce mistakes and improve product quality while effectively lowering quality control costs.
7. NPI engineers hold an indispensable role in EMS companies. They are expected to possess a comprehensive skill set that includes strong design, development, manufacturing capabilities, and quality management. Essentially, NPI engineers serve as project leaders or supervisors within certain factories, reengineering enterprise processes for effective product management and coordination across relevant documentation, quality control, production, materials, and technical teams.
8. The objective of new product introduction is to transform customer drawings or concepts into fully developed products that can be reliably mass-produced. This ensures that new products not only meet internal and external customer requirements but also transition smoothly into mass production, optimizing efficiency and quality thereafter.
9. It’s essential to promote and clarify the process control points and precautions for new products, confirming documentation and governance tools, as well as addressing any issues that arise during prototyping and trial production. Continuous improvement efforts must be implemented, ensuring the effectiveness of remedial actions, with ongoing follow-ups on relevant measures and their outcomes.
10. New product introduction encompasses the technical management of a product from the outset of R&D through to mass production. NPI engineers are tasked with coordinating design development, process quality assurance, and manufacturing to effectively align manufacturability design (DFM), productivity, and product quality, ultimately satisfying customer expectations.
11. During the prototyping phase, NPI engineers must ensure optimal production line configurations. This collaboration allows both parties to achieve a clearer understanding of product processing requirements, facilitating early detection of potential issues in PCBA processing and ensuring compliance with manufacturability design standards.
12. Monitoring points for quality control must be established, allowing for timely feedback of issues and solutions during the prototyping phase. NPI engineers are also responsible for discussing challenges with customers to clear obstacles to mass production.
13. NPI engineers manage the historical technical records of new products, which are crucial for the correctness of all foundry/manufacturing processes. A fishbone diagram review should encompass six aspects: human, machine, material, method, environment, and process, focusing on PCBA manufacturability design, special materials, and unique customer requirements.
14. NPI engineers must also evaluate complex process capability indices (Cpk) to confirm that product characteristics meet specifications, ensuring the defect rate of finished products remains within acceptable levels, serving as a foundation for continuous process improvement.
15. Furthermore, new product introductions must embrace the concept of electronic hardcover, striving for optimal processing and manufacturing to exceed customer expectations rather than merely meeting basic standards. This approach allows for the identification of design deficiencies, encouraging proactive customer improvements and reducing overall processing costs.
16. The R&D cycle for electronic products is becoming shorter, with an increasing variety of products. OEMs must shift away from traditional high-volume, single-variety production methods, as multi-variety, small-batch production requires longer cycles and incurs higher internal costs, which hinder timely customer delivery.
17. In the near future, a rise in regional small and medium-sized foundries in China is anticipated, as more operations shift inland. Their survival and growth will hinge on offering customized products in varied, small batches, as well as prototype manufacturing. This will necessitate more skilled NPI engineers working closely with clients.
18. The significance of NPI in PCBA processing continues to escalate. Recognizing the leadership potential of NPI is essential; the more NPI engineers an electronic manufacturing company employs, the more likely it is to thrive and expand.
