It’s easier than ever for an inventor or a company with a great new idea in consumer electronics to find a manufacturing facility to create it. The rise in the last thirty years of dedicated outsourced electronics manufacturing has filled the globe with facilities ready to pump out products at nearly any price point imaginable.
One of the most costly things that can happen to a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is that it could break and have to be replaced--especially if the PCB is old. Instead of having to redesign and reassemble newer components, which will take lots of time and money, parts on a PCB can be replaced or even repaired. In fact, entire PCBs can be repaired which can help keep down costs significantly.
Made in the USA is a label you don't see nearly as much as you used to. Or, perhaps worse, it also doesn't mean as much as it used to. The flood of outsourced PC board assembly to China and other developing nations meant that, very often, only the final assembly of “made in the USA” products was even done in the country. 90% of the work was done offshore.
Technology is only going to continue to be a big part of our lives, whether we like it or not. That means the assembly of all sorts of components within everyday products is going to rise, along with the complexity of said components. Oftentimes, assembly is done efficiently through machines or by hand by skilled technicians, including electromechanical assembly, which is one of the biggest bridges between complex technology and making sure something simply works.
Printed circuit boards (PCB) are boards made from fiberglass, ceramic and other materials on which interconnected circuits and components, are etched. The use of PCB has enabled electronic circuits to become more compact and convenient. Gone are the days when large wires were used in electronic devices. Today you can easily find such PCB’s in almost every appliance in your home. Computers, Televisions, Music systems, Digital clocks, Answering machines, Microwave ovens and more, virtually every appliance in your home has PCB of one or the other type. The heart of a computer its ‘motherboard’ is also a PCB. PCBs also find its place in computer components such as the RAM, Modem, and video cards.
These days, everyone is talking about the benefits of reshoring. This new whitepaper is just the latest major release talking about why you should consider moving your PC board assembly and other electronics manufacturing needs back to the United States. Much of the ground it covers is similar to discussions we've had in past blogs. However, some of the longer-term implications they find are even more worrisome:
In the world of contract electronics design, you can't rest on your laurels for much longer. For years, consumers were happy enough getting extremely inexpensive electronics that were, by and large, manufactured and often designed overseas at low rates.
As new technologies drive the world's economic engine to perform ever-faster, a business involved in contract electronics manufacturing assembly has to be able to adapt quickly to stay on top of the game. At the same time, consumer demand has been pushing for ever-cheaper gadgets which still add more features. Cheap and flexible manufacturing assembly solutions are a necessity.
When it comes to your operating budget, one of the biggest things you're probably concerned about is the manufacturing and distribution Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) that are being assembled specifically for you.