The market is heating up as companies come up with new and innovative products and want to get them to the marketplace, pronto. With the world rather shut down for almost a year and a half, innovators had time to think about and create these new inventions.
The pandemic created needs for products we have not even thought about before. Everything from medical devices like purification systems and low-cost respirators to COVID tests and packaging temperature indicators to make sure that vaccines were shipped at the proper temperatures. The demand for innovations for existing products such as automatic door openers, faucets, and toilets to automatic no-touch everything else are hitting the market as we speak.
Additionally, we are seeing an increasing demand for products to counter cyberattacks. Then there is the issue of security and protection of intellectual property which is creating severe challenges in terms of the supply chain with companies being much more concerned about where their products are being built and who is actually seeing their own IP.
Don’t get me wrong, these are all very good things, but they are also creating challenges for those of us in the time to market business. Now more than ever, our customers want their products not just yesterday, but it seems like they wanted them last year.
To help with there new world order conditions, here are 10 things you as a customer can do to make help your PCB and PCBA vendor get your products to market that much faster:
Imran Valiani is an account manager at Rush PCB. He can be reached at imran@rushpcb.com.
06-24-2021
One result of the pandemic is companies creating innovative products. The problem is they want to get them to market much sooner than normal. Here are 10 tips for working with your vendors to deliver products on time.
View Story05-27-2021
The tsunami of products coming to market means that confidentiality and security is more important than ever. But are they getting the attention they need?
View Story05-06-2021
Now more than ever, speed is more important than anything else. When we talk to our customers, especially the ones who are working on new and innovative products (and almost all of them are), there is a growing concern that their suppliers are not going to be able to keep up with their need for speed.
View Story03-25-2021
A recent survey of a few companies asked what was the most important to them. The survey not only focused on what was offered by their customers today, but what they wanted if they could have anything they wanted in terms of service from the suppliers. It was a very interesting, and surprising, exercise.
View Story02-18-2021
Times have changed and fast time to market is not an excuse to skimp on quality, technology or customer service. In fact, great customer service is more important than it has ever been, especially when it comes to quick turn-around orders.
View Story01-21-2021
Imran Valiani is always on the lookout for ways to cut time to market. Over the years this has become his personal passion. When he stumbled on a way to shorten the quoting process, Valiani left no stone unturned.
View Story12-10-2020
The best vendors are always there for you and are willing to work 365/24/7. Your company’s most valuable assets are your products, and you're entrusting them to another company. Here, Imran Valiani shares the eight most critical questions you have to ask about your supplier.
View Story11-25-2020
There is an old saying that goes, “You get what you pay for.” This is especially true when it comes to the electronics manufacturing industry. What is a great product, what is a great PCB, and what is extraordinary service? Imran Valiani details eight characteristics of a great PCB supplier.
View Story10-29-2020
There is no doubt that in this fast-paced world of innovation and time to market, speed is one of the most important aspects of making your products and company successful. Imran Valiani shares four actions that can be taken pre-manufacturing to cut down the critical need for speed at the manufacturing level.
View Story09-24-2020
When trying to get a new product to market, time can be the most important factor when it comes to its future success or failure. Imran Valiani details 12 characteristics you should look for when choosing and developing a long-term working relationship with that right new product introduction (NPI) supplier.
View Story08-20-2020
Now is the time to go the extra mile in getting to know your customers, what they need, and how to help them solve their problems and challenges. Imran Valiani shares eight ways to know your customer better.
View Story07-30-2020
When you consider the true value of getting your product built swiftly enough to make your required date, you come to realize that it’s not all about the money. After all of the planning, scheduling, and marketing you’ve done, Imran Valiani explains what could happen if you don’t get your product on time.
View Story06-25-2020
After sharing a crunch-time scenario, Imran Valiani emphasizes the importance of solid communication on getting to market on time—especially if you're not using a one-stop-shop for design, fabrication, and assembly.
View Story05-21-2020
With everything going on right now, people are looking for solutions—especially fast solutions. Imran Valiani shares 10 guidelines for working with your NPI supplier to make sure that you get your new, innovative, and in some cases, life-saving products to market quickly and efficiently.
View Story04-23-2020
As inventors come up with new devices and equipment that can directly save lives when they are placed in the hands of the medical professionals who are treating COVID-19 patients, it is up to the PCB and PCBA industry to support those companies. Imran Valiani provides five actions to help customers get to market with their new products as rapidly as possible.
View Story03-26-2020
The rush is on. As the world changes moment by moment, more and more companies are going to need to have their new product lines developed faster than ever. As the global supply web shuts down—or at least gets closed off in some areas of the world—companies, especially OEMs, are having to scramble to find alternate solutions for building their products. However, Imran Valiani explains how there is a way to countermand these challenges: using trusted sources.
View Story12-05-2019
The future is here. More and more companies are turning to the complete synergistic solution, seeking companies who can provide PCB fabrication and assembly in just a few days, some in as little as five days. Imran Valiani shares five items to consider when choosing a total concept supplier.
View Story11-21-2019
The best way—and really the only way—to get the most from both your PCB vendors and others is to treat them as an extended part of your company. Bring them into the family, so to speak. And the better you treat your vendors, the better they will perform. I know that’s not the most complicated thing to say, but it is often not an easy thing to do. You have to intentionally choose companies to partner with as vendors, and then intentionally work to create a bond of trust with them consistently throughout the relationship.
View Story10-09-2019
In this new column from Imran Valiani plans to address ways to get products to market as quickly as possible.
View Story
