Quality matters in every stage of manufacturing, no matter what industry you work in. Many factors could impact your electronic product, such as raw materials quality, production techniques, and even the final packaging choice.
When your final product isn’t up to par, customers won’t be satisfied, and you’ll lose sales—or even worse, you could end up paying out money on recall costs if it poses a risk to your customer’s health or safety.
If you don’t want to risk failure and want to receive the best quality products possible from the manufacturing supplier you choose, here are eight tips that will help you get started on the right path to success and keep your business running smoothly without costly recalls or returns.
1. Source Quality Components
Electronic products depend mainly on circuit boards, which are constructed from tiny components.
Potential problems may arise depending on what type of components you select for each board and whether they’ve been attached properly or not.
In this case, you need to make sure that there’s a steady and reliable supply of high-quality parts, even during periods when suppliers might be running in shortage due to unforeseen circumstances so that production lines don’t come to a halt.
2. Create Standardized Checklists
To create high-quality electronic products, it’s recommended to create standardized checklists for every step of the process so that quality can be guaranteed throughout the production.
This checklist should include both internal and external validation steps which are used to confirm that all tasks have been completed satisfactorily.
Internal validation consists of making sure that each person on your team has done their part before handing it off to the next one. And external validation consists of independent third-party manufacturers conducting tests on samples before they’re manufactured at a large scale.
3. List Your Standards
Standards can vary for different types of products and different expectations. In this case, the quality standards can include different levels.
For example, you can take a look at IPC-6011: Generic Performance Specification for Printed Boards. This specification classifies electronic products into 3 classes, each specifying a certain limit on the number of errors in production. Although IPC 6011 is more of a standard for bare board creation rather than a detailed quality requirement list, it’s still important for anyone who wants to get a grasp of how these guidelines impact material choice, testing, and more.
Some other useful standards include J-STD-001: Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies and IPC 610-A: Acceptability of Electronic Assemblies, both outlining various guidelines around assembling electronic circuits.
4. Ensure Consistent Processes
Product manufacturing is a process that takes place over the course of weeks, months, or even years. The key to guaranteeing quality is consistency, which means that every step of the electronics manufacturing process must be completed with the same attention and care. This will ensure that your products will meet your standards and won’t have big problems now and then.
Furthermore, workers need to be well-trained so there will be fewer setbacks or complications. With experience comes competence and this will lead to higher-quality products.
5. Schedule Regular Testing and Debugging
It’s important that you schedule regular testing and debugging of your product. Testing will identify any flaws or glitches before they can become big problems, and debugging will help fix those problems when they do arise.
You can conduct quality controls by having an outside inspection company examine the product line-by-line. This will ensure that you’re producing a high-quality electronic product. Furthermore, it ensures that you are abiding by all industry regulations.
6. Keep Apprised of Changes That Could Affect Quality
Keeping up with changes that could affect product quality is important when you are in electronics manufacturing.
If there are new quality standards or regulations released when you’ve already begun production, it can potentially lead to a costly mistake if you fail to pay attention. Any major updates can affect your company and your manufacturing partner. You can always consult a manufacturing expert for assistance when dealing with industry standards and regulations.
7. Keep Tabs on Your Suppliers
Another smart way to make sure you’re getting the best products is by staying in contact with your supplier.
Expect them to provide you with their finest work for approval before finishing up, and if there are any issues, reach out and address them immediately. And if they’re willing to amend those mistakes to satisfy you, then it might be worth continuing business with them long-term because they are responsible and dependable.
Also, reviewing important details now and then can avoid misunderstanding and make business communication across oceans simpler. The Chinese are also wary of losing face and hesitate to ask questions such as “We don’t understand, please clarify”. In this case, proactively speaking to them will help you gauge from their tone and responses whether they are confused so that you can provide clarity.
8. Work with Certificated Electronics Manufacturers
When you plan on identifying an electronics manufacturing partner, don’t just focus on the best price. Rather, check out their certifications first.
Certificates might not seem important, but there is a reason why manufacturing companies use them as evidence that they have high standards and great care for detail. Plus, if you have any trouble with your product later down the line, the certificate will help prove that your product should be manufactured at an accredited facility with a certified production line.
Finding a proper electronics manufacturing company to ensure your product quality can help you avoid lots of trouble. If you are considering outsourcing your project to China, look no further than China 2 West. We have developed to be a famous one-stop-shop manufacturing consultancy from product sourcing and manufacturing to QC inspection and distribution in the Greater Bay Area in Southern China. If you want to know more about how we can help your project, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
