Welcome to the 34th annual Service Excellence Awards!

 

REGISTRATION

Opens: Feb. 20, 2026

Closes: April 30, 2026 

The Service Excellence Awards ceremony will take place in-person in fall 2026. Place and date to be announced.

Contact Mike Buetow with any inquiries and questions. 

• Register here: https://pcea.net/sea-awards

 

CATEGORIES

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY recognizes winners in the following categories:

EMS Providers:
Revenues under $20 million
Revenues between $20 million to $100 million
Revenues between $101 million to $500 million
Revenues over $500 million

Suppliers:
Component storage systems
Automation and handling equipment
Cleaning processing or materials
Device programming equipment
Dispensing
Pick-and-place
Repair and rework
Screen printing
Test and inspection
Materials (solder, encapsulants and adhesives)
Soldering equipment

Non-Manufacturing Service Providers:
Test laboratories
Recycling, cleaning or other non-manufacturing process providers
Design service bureaus

Software Providers:
Automation/manufacturing software (not ERP/MRP)
Supply-chain/ERP/MRP software

Reps or Agents and/or Distributors

Reps or agents and/or distributors (any size)

Companies do not need to be US-based. All EMS companies must have a minimum of three years in EMS work.

 

ABOUT

Sponsored by CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY, the Service Excellence Awards (SEAs) for electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers and electronics assembly equipment, material, service, and software suppliers and honor companies excelling in the crucial area of customer service.

Now in its 34th year, the SEAs honor companies in the critical area of customer service, permitting participants to benchmark customer service against their peers. It is the only industry awards program that uses direct customer feedback to determine best-in-class.

Customers are surveyed to determine a participating company's level of customer satisfaction in various categories, including dependability/timely delivery; ease of use; manufacturing quality; responsiveness to requests and changes; technology; value for the price; flexibility/ease of doing business; and one overall best-in-show winner. All customer responses and ratings are tabulated and provided in a confidential report to the participating company.

The SEAs recognize four categories of EMS providers based on revenues (under $20 million; $20 million to $100 million; $101 million to $500 million, and over $500 million). Equipment, material or software supplier awards will be presented in each of the following categories: component storage systems; automation and handling equipment; cleaning processing or materials; device programming equipment; dispensing; pick-and-place; repair and rework; screen printing; test and inspection; materials (solder, encapsulants and adhesives); soldering equipment; automation/manufacturing software (not ERP/MRP); and supply-chain/ERP/MRP software. Non-manufacturing service providers will be honored in the following categories: test laboratories; recycling, cleaning or other non-manufacturing process providers; and design service bureaus. Reps or agents and/or distributors will also be honored.

All winners are featured in a CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY article and receive an award commemorating their achievement. If your company wins, the accomplishment may be advertised to the extent you desire!

BENEFITS

Online responses are collected from a list of customers you provide to determine your company's level of customer satisfaction in various categories. Customer responses and ratings are calculated by an independent tabulator and summarized in a comprehensive, confidential report presented to you. Use these reports to improve operations and implement new ways of ensuring customer satisfaction - before customers are out the door to another company!

Suppliers are welcome to enter more than one category, although the fee applies for each.

 

TESTIMONIALS

“We get customer scorecards all year long. We work hard to continuously improve. When we win the CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Service Excellence Awards, it means we’ve done everything right.” - Gary Larson, CEO, Electronic Systems Inc. 

“The SEA Awards are uniquely valuable because they reflect direct customer feedback rather than internal metrics. Being recognized by the voice of the customer is the strongest validation that our strategy, culture, and operational discipline are aligned with what truly matters,” said Jason Powell, founder, XLR8 EMS.

“Datest offers testing, engineering, analytical, and other value-added services, all geared to speed, flexibility, and results. We need a mechanism for obtaining meaningful feedback from customers on a regular basis. We also share that feedback with our AS9100 auditor. The CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Service Excellence Awards are ideal for capturing those honest reactions that make us a better company.” - Robert Boguski, president, Datest