Systems Strategy and Differentiation in EMS

My June Circuits Assembly article looks at EMS systems strategy.

One of the most positive trends I’ve seen in the electronics manufacturing services industry over the past five years is the permeation of ERP, shop-floor control and related systems that truly do let businesses work smarter, even in small, one-site companies. I see this as a huge positive because the complexity of information that must be managed on a day-to-day basis continues to grow. Read more here.

Establishing an Operation in Mexico Means Evaluating Tradeoffs

In my latest column in Circuits Assembly, I look at the challenges associated with establishing an operation in Mexico. The increased cost competitiveness of Mexico’s manufacturing, migration of automotive and aerospace clusters, and a lessening of the violence that has plagued the country for much of the last decade have incentivized a new wave of US-based regional manufacturers to look at the benefits of opening operations there as a the next step in their expansion plans.

That said, Mexico remains a country full of complexity when it comes to establishing a viable operation. There isn’t one right answer for best location or business structure. This month we look at some of the tradeoffs to consider when establishing a small operation in Mexico. Read more here.

Branding, Marketing and Selling in EMS

My Circuits Assembly article this month looks at the concepts of branding, marketing and selling. Like my recent Leader vs. Manager post, this is another area where words are used interchangeably to refer to very different concepts. Branding, Marketing and Selling looks at the ways these concepts interrelate and specific ways that electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers can capitalize on well thought out strategy in these areas. Read the full article here.

Manufacturing Matters

Recently, I watched my local City Council lecture a manufacturer looking to relocate about the fact that they didn’t feel his wages were high enough to receive incentives and it really got me thinking about how detrimental the current political grandstanding around wages is. Part of that reason is that we’ve been focused on becoming a service economy so long that many of our politicians simply don’t understand how transformational manufacturing jobs can be. A manufacturer paid for my Master’s degree back when I made $5/hour in my first job of out college–that was a great tradeoff that has paid dividends my entire career. In virtually every manufacturer I’ve worked for, I’ve watched other people increase their skills and earning power through the training, tuition refund programs and career advancement opportunities. I focused my Circuits Assembly article in April on that topic. Feel to send copies to any elected officials that you feel are in need of enlightenment about the contributions your companies make to our society as a whole.

Are You Getting the Return You Expect From Your Program Managers?

Part of the reason I’ve been a little lax on my posting is that I’ve had a heavy travel schedule that included teaching segments of the IPC EMS Program Management Certification course as well as co-organizing a session at SMTAI on conflict minerals with Mike Buetow from Circuits Assembly.

My October Circuits Assembly column looks at ways to build a unified program management team and ensure that all program managers understand how best to do their jobs. Program management is truly the most difficult job in EMS and anything that reduces the learning curves of new program managers will generally save your company money.

Having Difficulty with My Links?

Circuits Assembly has just redone its website. The new look is great, but they haven’t finished re-indexing all their articles and apparently it will take some time. If you click on one my article links and get a bad page, just contact me and I’ll get you a copy of the article. Once they’ve fixed their site, I’ll re-index my links but their process may take several months. Sorry for any inconvenience.

The Business Prenup

One of my recent columns in Circuits Assembly focused on contracts. A contract or manufacturing agreement is a lot like a prenuptial agreement in that with a happy marriage you can throw it in a drawer and forget about it. And, business divorce without a contract isn’t much different from marriage breakups without a prenup – there is a lot of latitude to behave badly. Check out the article to learn the 5 worst reasons for not having a contract and negotiating strategies that will help you quickly get one in place.