Absolutely – having been in the industry for many years, I’ve seen a clear shift in customer expectations and their overall approach. Just a few years ago, we were mainly focused on producing electronics as semi-finished products. Today, that’s no longer enough. Customers now expect comprehensive service – from technical consulting and flexible production to final assembly and functional testing of finished devices.
At Elhurt EMS, we strive to actively respond to these changes. Close cooperation between the production and sales departments allows us to quickly adapt and tailor our capabilities to each customer’s specific needs. We focus on flexibility – both technologically and organizationally. We implement new solutions in PCBA manufacturing, but we place particular emphasis on final assembly and functional testing, which are now critical for many projects.
And while it may sound obvious or even cliché – “you have to be flexible and work together” – this approach truly makes a difference. This daily readiness to adapt, to find solutions together, strongly translates into the final result. And this is something our customers increasingly appreciate.
We start with the basics – communication. Even at the quotation stage, we prioritize exchanging as much information as possible with the customer. This not only helps us understand the project thoroughly but also allows us to propose improvements that optimize production processes and enhance the quality of the final product.
We’re not afraid to take the initiative – we often recommend technologies that weren’t originally specified in the documentation but can genuinely improve results. A great example is PCBA cleaning before conformal coating. A few years ago, this was considered an unnecessary expense – but we already recognized back then how important cleanliness is for coating quality.
Today, cleaning PCBA is almost a standard – a requirement confirmed by both coating manufacturers and coating machines. The fact that we identified and implemented this process early on shows that we follow trends and actively adopt them before they become industry norms.
It’s worth saying plainly – we’re really good at launching new projects. We do it every day and have a wealth of experience in this area. The key is our team – competent, dedicated professionals who know what they’re doing and can quickly translate customer needs into concrete production actions.
Our approach combines efficiency with quality. We’ve developed methods that allow us to implement new processes swiftly and effectively. Importantly – we don’t operate blindly. We’re currently developing a major project aimed at improving our communication with customers during implementation – providing them with clear data, updates, and feedback.
As a production manager, the most important thing for me is this – never sweep problems under the rug. In contract electronics manufacturing, issues can always arise, so I focus on open communication and rapid response. I value close collaboration with the sales department – because swift and clear reporting of a problem allows us to act effectively and avoid unnecessary tensions.
If anything affects SMT, THT assembly, or the launch schedule of a new project, we immediately inform the customer about what’s happening and what actions we’re taking. A well-managed process is one where everyone knows what’s going on and what needs to be done.
In such cases, I work closely with our lead technologist and quality manager. Together, we analyze the issue and implement corrective actions. We don’t look for someone to blame – we look for root causes in the process. This mindset allows us to act constructively and continuously improve with every new implementation.
One of the more interesting cases occurred during the launch of a new project, where the rotation of a BGA component was incorrectly defined. What made this issue unusual was that the error passed through several levels of inspection – it was accepted not only by the SMT operator but also by quality control and the technologist who conducted an additional check.
The cause was the unique construction of the BGA package, which wasn’t clearly described in the technical documentation and could easily suggest the wrong orientation. Even experienced employees were misled by it. Fortunately, our implementation process is multi-stage and well-secured – the next level of inspection, X-ray testing, caught the error before soldering. This saved us from a serious mistake – in the worst-case scenario, we could have been forced to scrap the entire pilot batch, resulting in real losses.
We responded immediately – as a preventive measure, we added a photo of the component with a clearly marked correct orientation on the PCB and a warning note to the documentation. This example shows that even with high competence, clear documentation and visualizing critical mounting points is essential. With this approach, we learn from mistakes and strengthen our processes – not by blaming, but by asking, “what can we do better next time?”.
The conversation with Jarosław Milbradt offers a clear insight into how we at Elhurt EMS approach contract electronics manufacturing. For us, it’s not just about assembly and testing – it’s about flexibility, comprehensive service, and strong collaboration with the customer at every stage, from initial discussions to the finished product. It may sound familiar, but in day-to-day work it’s easy to forget how important it is to simply talk, listen to one another, and respond quickly. This is the foundation of our EMS approach – to deliver top-quality projects together.