Focus on Business
Strategic account planning can help EMS program managers align customer relationships with long-term growth, profitability and operational goals.
For many electronics manufacturing services (EMS) program managers, just managing tactical account issues is more than a 40-hour-a-week job. Thinking about strategy can be difficult when an inbox is full of urgent emails and the phone is ringing with additional problems to solve several times a day. While blocking out time to develop a broader-picture account strategy doesn’t necessarily eliminate that workload, it does create a foundation for determining whether adequate resources are devoted to that account and whether the account is a really good fit for the EMS provider’s business model.
In EMS, today’s headlines often become tomorrow’s production schedule.
While it may seem as if there is little rhyme or reason for variations in demand, the reality is that the electronics manufacturing service (EMS) industry’s repeating cycles actually make trends fairly predictable. As I write this, a number of those trends are starting to emerge. By the time it publishes, these trends will be even more evident. Understanding them can be helpful in addressing the issues and exploiting the opportunities that are likely to result.
The six functions every successful NPI needs.
A recent exchange on LinkedIn about the EMS industry got me thinking about the many good, bad and ugly NPI processes I have been part of or audited over the years. While there is no one right answer to launching first articles in the EMS space, far too many unrepeatable and inefficient NPI processes are “time eaters,” enabling first-article failures and taking the NPI team away from their day-to-day duties. This month, we examine some basic principles to consider if your NPI process is not consistent from NPI launch #1 to NPI launch #100.
In an EMS environment built on controlled chaos, dashboards help program managers catch problems early and keep accounts on track.
The electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry is controlled chaos by design. The basic EMS value proposition is that outsourcing relieves original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of manufacturing challenges. The EMS provider covers fixed costs during manufacturing and carries the associated inventory costs on its balance sheet. Market slowing down? Revise your EMS provider’s forecast.
You’re going to make some mistakes!
Having led different-sized sales forces over the years, I’ve made some massive hiring mistakes. This isn’t a “how to avoid all hiring mistakes” piece; everyone will make hiring errors over a long and active career. It is how you respond to those mistakes that can make a big difference in your company.
When EMS gets treated like a commodity, quality becomes the hidden surcharge.
One trend in the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry that I don’t like is the commoditization of services. This isn’t new. It’s been going on for decades, but it has been getting worse. Part of the problem, I think, is that the EMS value proposition has gotten lost. The lengthy period of material constraints and forecast instability changed many business behaviors, not necessarily for the better. Also, purchasing organizations have undergone a generational shift. The result has been several unrealistic expectations that harm the business relationship on both sides.
