We are delighted to be able to launch our new Electronic Manufacturing Service.
For nearly 33 years, DSL have been expert electronic designers, a consultancy helping OEMs lacking sufficient internal electronic design resource, expertise – or both – develop the brain of their industrial hardware.
I’ve been with DSL for two full decades, twenty years of working with such clients day in, day out, combining their niche core competency with our electronic design prowess to develop cutting edge products to drive their respective industry forwards.
Once we’d finished the design cycle, DSL more often than not, went on to manage the manufacture that electronic solution. Using a selection of carefully selected and audited contract electronic manufacturers (CEM) we outsourced the PCB assembly manufacture whilst undertook all the testing and assembly processes in-house. Delivering to our clients anywhere between a lone PCB assembly and a complete final product in glossy packaging, sometimes direct to our client’s client!
Deep down we’ve always known something was missing from our offering, the capability of manufacturing those PCB assemblies ourselves in-house, but for 33 years it never quite seemed the right time.
The Right Time
I’ve been Managing Director for 5 years now and even during that period I can understand the hesitancy, as businesses have jumped from national (and international crisis) to crisis. Through Brexit, COVID and more recently, the global supply chain problems where DSL were particularly impacted – with electronic component shortages being amongst the most affected.
It’s that latest crisis that really triggered DSL to take the bull by the horns and address this long-standing omission of our cradle-to-grave capabilities. Component shortages (or complete lack thereof) meant PCB assemblies either couldn’t be produced at all, cost eye-watering amounts, or required extensive re-design to incorporate components that were available.
Malpractices in the industry were rife, with large corporations buying up global stock of specific components and component brokers profiteering, selling penny parts for tens or even hundreds of pounds a piece. The electronic manufacturing industry lost control and accountability, and DSL were stuck in the middle.
We found ourselves trying to justify huge increases in price from our outsourced manufacturing partners without receiving any justification ourselves to pass on. We also experienced manufacturing issues, many mistakes but most unforgiveable mistakes (especially when the components on such boards are exponentially more expensive than ‘usual’) and again – DSL is stuck in the middle, letting down valued clients through no fault of our own. We decided enough was enough.
The Beginnings of our Electronic Manufacturing Offering
In summer 2023 we began plans to in-source PCB assembly. Top of the list is where we would do this, in our existing building, or an entirely new site? We weighed up the pros and cons and decided the advantages were far greater managing both the design and manufacturing under the same roof.
We rigorously researched the equipment we’d need and manufacturers/models there of and opted for a fully automated SMT assembly line, supported by a top-of-the-range 3D automated optical inspection machine. This device takes thousands of HD photos of every PCBA assembly to compare against a known good baseline, which both increases accuracy and decreases time/cost of inspection vs a skilled human operator. We also installed dedicated benches for through-hole assembly, revamping our entire production area.
Luckily we already possessed the skills in-house to operate this equipment, with our Production Manager previously effectively managing a CEM in a past life – with the support of our in-house design engineering team and new recruitment of skilled hand soldering technicians.
So come January 2024, DSL will be ready to launch our manufacturing capability, which not only gives us the ability after all these years to manufacture our own designs, but also to offer a contract electronic manufacturing service to build our client’s existing designs, those designed in-house or by another design consultancy.
