Talent, class, commitment, and integrity. These leadership hallmarks are exemplified in Wendy Smith, RBB’s General Manager, who begins in May 2013, after 27 years of tireless effort, a new chapter in life. We part as friends and she will be greatly missed. Yet this critical transition will be virtually transparent to customers and the business – and this is a story worth sharing.

At RBB Systems we work with a wide variety of customers that present us the opportunity to build a wide variety of electronic assemblies. This requires us to master a variety of different methods and techniques to manufacture products. Over the past few months the manufacturing department has taken great strides to understand how common and costly mistakes happen, and how to prevent them in the future. This has led us to refine what we have termed the “Kickoff” process.

Since working in Market Development at RBB, I have been a part of implementing our company's digital marketing plans. Through these online efforts we manage leads, connect with prospects, and develop relationships, while also nurturing and interacting with current customers. All of this is by way of website offers, blog interaction, Facebook updates, tweeting, creating YouTube videos and participating in LinkedIn conversations. Pretty crazy!

Community. Goodwill. Customer service.

Located in the heart of Ohio Amish country, sits a low volume electronics job shop, RBB Systems. You might think it a strange place for a shop that specializes in custom printed circuit boards but it’s not really. It’s an area populated with people who embody the values we look for in our employees – hard-working, reliable, trustworthy, eager to help and willing to move heaven and earth for our customers. 

If you operate a business in the made-to-order, small batch world then you face a set of challenges that simply comes with the territory. Whether you’re making cookies, candles or custom circuit boards, by relentlessly improving the following important elements, you can significantly distance yourself from your competitors. They sound obvious – but to sustain an ongoing competitive advantage, they must be approached consciously with a fresh, questioning mindset.

Mistake #1: Assume That Your Electronic Contract Manufacturer (ECM) Can Read Your Mind!

Your ECM partner works with many customers, each of whom has their own technical standards and style of working. Don’t allow yourself to think that your electronics manufacturer's abundant technical expertise somehow includes clairvoyance!

You Made The Decision.. Now What? 

Your company is facing one or more of these situations and has made the decision to outsource the manufacture of electronic circuit board assemblies, control panels and/or box-build assemblies.

Let’s say that your customer makes the purchasing decisions at an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). They are responsible for an assortment of custom electronics – with ever-changing needs. You are their reputable contract manufacturer (CM) and accommodate their style well, yet you suspect that your customer has made at least one of these comments: