It is very common to hear from the customers that source PCBs that their orders are frequently delayed. When your PCB manufacturer does not honor their own deadlines and if they do not live up to their promises then things are going to get very challenging for your production team. For any electronic equipment manufacturing company to run smoothly, it is important to have a steady supply of PCBs. The PCBs form the core component of the electronic device. If there are delays in the delivery of the PCBs from your manufacturer, you will not be able to adhere to your production calendar. This in turn will affect your deliveries to your customers.
When you select your PCB supplier, you need to find out whether they have a PCB manufacturing facility. Often customers blindly select their suppliers just looking at the quote and without doing any background checks. Some of these suppliers in China do not have their own manufacturing facility and they only have a fancy website. Customers are lured by the website and place their orders only to find out that their suppliers do not even have their own manufacturing facility but that they are just an intermediary agent. Such agents will not have total control over the PCB production process. As a result, they will not have any control over the deadlines too. You will experience constant issues with the overall delivery timeline.
Before you finalize your PCB manufacturer, you need to find a company that has their own manufacturing unit. You will have to further explore a bit on the reputation of the manufacturer when it comes to their ability to meet deadlines. If they have been constantly delaying their customers then it would be made evident online through customer reviews and ratings. These feedbacks will save you from unreliable manufacturers.
Understanding the manufacturing capabilities of the PCB manufacturer, learning about their peak seasons and low seasons will help you plan better. You need to do all these groundworks before you could blindly send your orders to some random companies. Even if you happen to get the lowest quotes do not proceed with any manufacturer that does not assure you the best turnaround times. It is not enough to promise fast turnaround times but it is also equally important that your manufacturer adheres to those promises.
Once you go through an entire sourcing cycle, you are likely to have a better understanding of the dynamics. You will be able to avoid factors that contribute to delays from your end. You will also learn to place the orders in a timely fashion and to stay ahead of your production cycle so that even if there are delays from your manufacture the production process is not affected.
Allow yourself enough time to gain better understanding of your sourcing cycle. Do not keep changing your PCB manufacturer but try to work with the same manufacturer and try to get them to adhere to the expected timeline if their PCB quality is good.
