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Connect the Dots: PCB Manufacturing Focused on Value

PCB manufacturing has become more complex, not only to meet the growing need for more advanced, smaller boards, but also to address supply chain disruptions and uncertainty about the cost of critical raw materials. This environment makes it harder for our customers, too. Relatively straightforward decisions about choosing a PCB manufacturer have become more challenging.

Established paradigms, such as “offshore manufacturing is cheaper,” are not as reliable as they once were. A variety of risk factors, including trade policy and shortages of critical supplies, have added uncertainty. The seemingly simple value equation of “function plus quality divided by cost” now includes more variables, greater risk, and potential hidden costs.

As manufacturers, we need to up our game to deliver value to our customers.

Total value management (TVM) is an approach to the quality-versus-cost balancing act that integrates components of total quality management (TQM) and Lean manufacturing. Like those other methodologies, TVM prizes customer focus, continuous improvement, and employee empowerment.

TVM applies all these qualities and improvement-focused concepts to PCB production. A TVM solution partner is collaborative, innovative, nimble, and resourceful. They will be able to help you formulate the best path forward for your PCB prototyping and manufacturing, be it domestic or offshore.

For customers facing increased decision-making complexity and evolving financial risk and reward models, it helps to focus on traditional value propositions:

• More effective, easier communication with the fabricator
• Reliable, dependable delivery
• Higher yield, better quality
• Smooth, faster production
• Reduced risk

Value at Each Stage of Production

Manufacturing value starts before the first blank board begins its journey through the production facility and continues well after the final products are shipped. The first opportunity for manufacturers to deliver value is at the initial point of contact, when many customers are addressing the global question: Where should I manufacture?

Providers of both domestic and overseas manufacturing solutions are well-positioned to objectively consult with customers to solve the domestic vs. offshore equation, an equation more complicated than simply calculating the per-unit pricing. When you factor in yield, reliability, and durability, domestic PCB manufacturing can often be the most cost-effective choice even for higher volume projects. You have to identify variables and run all the numbers to find out.

With larger production volumes, even modest per-unit savings often associated with offshore production can appear attractive on the surface. However, those savings paint only half the picture. Our experience tells us that less easily quantifiable cost drivers pose greater obstacles to offshoring than just volatile import taxes and port delays. It is the value equation that tells the story. 

Is the risk associated with a globally sprawling supply chain offset by the value of slightly cheaper boards? Can you cost-effectively warehouse a sufficient supply to be resilient? Can delays and cost variances from shipping, tariffs, and transport fees be absorbed? How much will a lower yield or quality issues affect the cost savings?

These are the indirect costs associated with offshoring that may minimize or even eliminate potential savings. It still might be the right decision to go overseas, but a value-based partner can work with you to see clearly which path brings the most value.

Best Practices for Total Value Manufacturing
Total value—delivered to the customer through support, on-time delivery, quality boards, and high yield—is how manufacturers can support customer needs for PCB production in all circumstances. Its foundation is quality.

Schedule Adherence

It does not matter how good the boards are if they are not available for production of the electronic device they were built for. If a manufacturer ships an average of 1,000 orders per day, the difference between 95% and 97% on-time delivery annualizes to over 5,000 additional late shipments per year. Every late delivery has a cost. Because it affects each customer’s bottom line, manufacturers focus on total value work every day to improve their on-time delivery rate. 

Design Adherence

The key question facing every designer: Can the manufacturer build the board I designed?

Designs with manufacturability issues can cause production delays and drive up costs. Design adherence helps the design team concentrate on the behavior of the design during prototyping and debugging, because the PCB manufacturer built what the design team specified.

The standard or widely accepted RMA rate for PCB manufacturers is roughly 2%. Fabricators who strive to provide TVM maintain a 1% RMA rate.

Responsiveness

PCB manufacturing is a collaborative process. A good partner helps the design team keep revision cycles to a minimum during prototyping and move the project along as fast as possible. Responsiveness is key to achieving this goal. Design teams are often working on tight project deadlines. To get clarity, they need prompt, reliable access to their fabricator. 

A value-focused manufacturer will provide ready, constant access to experts who speak the language of design and product. They will do so with customer service phone call wait time measured in seconds, not minutes.

Yield

Production yield levels are a key leading indicator for ongoing service levels during the product’s lifecycle. Sound production processes, coupled with deep manufacturing expertise, a focus on quality, and a commitment to continuous improvement, produce higher yields.

Partnering With a Total Solution Provider
When a PCB manufacturing partner has a deep-rooted cultural value on quality and working together with customers, the result is accurate, efficient, and speedy fulfillment of orders, no matter the project, the factory, or the scale. Customers benefit from reduced decision-making complexity during pre-production, greater transparency throughout each phase of manufacturing, and higher-quality boards.

Read Matt’s book, The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Designing for Reality, or listen to his podcast here.

This column originally appeared in the June 2026 issue of I-Connect007 Magazine.