What is the problem with Manufacturing Partners?
Companies contract manufacturing partners offshore all the time. Yet, it is not uncommon that these manufacturing partners pretended they are the manufacturer. They then sub out big parts of the assembly to unknown entities that are not qualified.What Can Prevent This From happening to a U.S. customer?
A standby audit team would ensure that the manufacturing partners exist. It also makes sure that its facilities, size, and quality systems are in place. So you can contract an audit team or you have your own boots on the ground.
What Is This Audit Team Looking For In The Audit?
With the audit team, we’re looking to check the following qualities:
- quality
- ethical
- financial
- capability assessment.
With regards to the capability assessment, we are actually often encountering capability gaps. These are opportunities to work with the manufacturing partner. Additionally, they assess whether they’re ready to provide a collaborative team. It also assesses whether the company management is ready to co-invest with you to close gaps. Gaps could be:
- lacking equipment,
- lacking knowledge,
- things acquired from outside.
After the capability assessment, your business and engineering team will assess customer engagement. They assess by asking:
- Do they have the right engineering staff?
- Do they have the business whereabout to engage with you on the complexity of your project?
- Will it include the exchange of technical data?
- Will it include a quote request so the manufacturing partners can quote the project?
How iConn Different From Other Manufacturing Partners
We have years and years of experience. We have been present in China for the last 13 years. That means we have actual boots on the ground at all times. These boots on the ground are well-trained and skilled personnel. They will do the entire process on behalf of the customer in the U.S. Thus, they will include a meticulous audit. The audit results can be at all times shared with the customer. Often, our customers take part in or lead the audits. Then, we become the partner on the ground to prepare for that audit or to execute the audit.
Our technical people include:
- quality process engineers,
- testing engineers,
- product engineers,
that will swarm over the manufacturing facility. They capture everything and anything that is of importance. We are sensitive towards auditing and qualifying facilities. Such facilities work with us to make sure that there is no child or prison labor present. That is not tolerated at any time. Our audit team is not only performing an audit to qualify a facility. As well as, our engineering team isn’t only there to make sure that their engineering is present.
But, when we start the production, our boots will continue to be on the ground. Products leaving the facility to a customer in the U.S. are pre-quality screened. With that, we have an all-time assurance that eyes and ears, as well as boots, are on the ground at all times. Additionally, customers often give their own testing equipment to the Asian facility.
What Can iConn Provide The Customer With To Make Sure That This Happens And Is Accurate?
So, what iConn can do is set up logistics that we have been working for over 12 years. These ensure that we can ship the test equipment to our location in Asia where it’s needed. Also, it makes sure that it passes customs which is very critical when it comes to testing equipment. Once iConn masters the testing equipment, we train our overseas engineering teams. This way they can apply the testing equipment the correct way.
When working with iConn, we have many many benefits for the customer to take advantage of. iConn USA uses the same process as Asia to ensure customers get the item on time with expected quality. iConn USA also sources critical components from markets outside of China. We merge those in its world Irvine HQ before shipping them. Then, we transfer them to our consolidation center in Hong Kong. From there, it enters into China on time to hit the production schedule.
iConn As Your Manufacturing Partner
At iConn, we have the logistic foundation and the Oracle MRP system to wire critical parts. Additionally, we locate them close to manufacturing so production happens without any delays. Within the system, we have quality checkpoints for incoming:- component inspection,
- packaging,
- logistic,
- transfer to warehouses.
Then, they merge and enter China through custom declaration. Custom declaration is a complex undertaking. iConn provides the full service in declaring the components. This way, exporting these components built in high-level assemblies won’t have any problems. iConn customers can be always assured that there are team members:
available in the U.S. on the same time zone,
speaking the same language,
having the technical skills to address problems that may occur during this process. We’re here to address your needs. All manufactured products come back to the United States. Or, customers in Hong Kong receive them, wherever they’re seeking their advantage point. Here at iConn USA, we warranty all products brought back to the U.S. for workmanship and quality.
