PCB contract awarded after 100-company search

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Mar 31, 2005

NEE Controls selected Prism Electronics to supply printed circuit board assemblies, which are used in the manufacture of its products, after evaluating over 100 suppliers.

Following a nationwide evaluation of over 100 electronics manufacturing companies, NEE Controls selected Cambridgeshire-based Prism Electronics to supply printed circuit board (PCB) assemblies, which are used in the manufacture of its products.

NEE is the UK's largest independent manufacturer of automation control systems.

The company had been experiencing a high failure rate of PCB assemblies from its previous supplier and conducted an extensive search to find a company that would improve significantly the quality and reliability of supply.

"It became strategically essential for us to find a new supplier," said Richard Olds, production manager at NEE.

"We had reached a situation where we were rejecting unacceptable quantities of PCB assemblies from our previous supplier".

"This had the potential to affect the growth and development of our business".

" We needed to source another supplier that we could trust to meet our production and quality requirements reliably".

"Because of the potentially serious implications poor supply could have on our business we took a strategic approach to identifying a new supplier".

"I carried out careful, extensive research to evaluate the services and capabilities of over 100 electronics manufacturing companies in the UK.

Through a series of questionnaires and presentations to our directors I gradually narrowed this down to one company".

"It has taken a lot of effort to find the right manufacturing partner but the effect Prism has had on the company already has been significant." Prism manufactures and supplies six variations of PCB which are 30cm x 20cm in size.

The high density boards are fitted with a mix of fine pitch and surface mount components as well as connectors".

""Being selected to supply NEE's PCB assemblies after such exhaustive research was a tremendous achievement for us," said David Dickin, business development director at Prism".

" "When companies see us as an extension to their business rather than a provider of commodity services we can offer substantial benefits".

" For example, we work closely with NEE's production and design teams and use our knowledge of electronics manufacturing to help design new PCBs that are optimised for production".

"Through providing support like this we can offer our clients a much more effective service that takes us beyond being merely a supplier of commodity products.".