| | | | We are looking for some subcontractors to do surface mount | | | | technology boards for us. Is there anything I should pay specific | | | | attention when I visit the subcontractor's site? | | | | Thank you for any advice | | | | | | | Wolfgang has a good point.....I would talk to the people who work on the product & find out how they keep their processes in control. Also, since you are probably interested in getting a quality product on time......ask how they measure/monitor quality & on-time delivery & how they respond to problems with either. | | | | | | | | | Carol, | | | | At the risk of shooting myself in the fott ( yep I work for one of thos subcontractors) there are load's of trick's you can do to get a 'true' idea of how good they are. | | Wofgang and kelly are dead right if the people are happy chances are they are enjoying their work and really take pride in it so a good job is done..but then it could just as well be nervous laughter or the start of insanity!!!! (i'm not saying which one is me) | | Taking to quality manager's and directors or production manager's really wont give you a true picture, you'll only ever get told the good stuff, line tour's of the shop are good..it the folk on the shop floor look happy then it really is promoising since they are the one's doing the real work, not us engineers or those manager type folk. Ask their opinion on what run's good and bad and compare that to your boards, I know one customer took a picture of their board with them and showed it to the shopflorr folk's to see what they thought..now that's some smart thinking. | | Look at how tidy the place is, don't let yourself be guided or planned by the people your visiting for audit's..it's your audit you control it..never walk down the line the subcontractor want's you to..they've made sure it's perfect. | | Ask about RFT and PPM's, ask what they're quality gates are SM-T Wave and so on, check out their good's in andthe control's there..ask an operator or storeman about the rules to see if they know. | | I think the best ( or the worst depending on which end your on) I've ever seen is the one DELL carries out..man it's really brutal..I guess the best advice is lern the key phrase..."so prove it to me!" | | The last peice of advice...never ever just send materials or managers..make sure you have some technical folk's around, if you need to hire a consultant for a couple of day's it would be worth your money! | | | | JohnW | | | | | | | | | | | Are the processes being managed or the results? ISO says prove it too. Upon the ISO system foundation, a prevent defect program should have been built. Some actually have such a program. Others are catching on quick - Lone Ranger. | | Earl Moon |
Few important things you need to consider... machines, process, quality, turn-around time, maintenance program of the company, ppm's, dpm's, ISO certified and the Costs. also try to look on this...who are their customers.
hope this would help!
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