The Value of Local Program Management with Low-Cost-Country (LCC) Electronics Manufacturing - Ark Electronics

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- There are several key factors that determine why an OEM may choose a particular end-to-end Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) or PCBA provider. Chief among them is the ability to deliver high-quality, cost-effective solutions at scale. Doing so often requires dealing with an EMS that is in a low-cost country (LCC). Those LCC cost-savings often come with language barriers, multiple time differences, and cultural complexities making effective interaction across the teams very difficult. Add to that the fact that bringing a new product to market requires multiple handoffs from concept, to design, to prototype to mass production journey. Each of the handoffs is critical and missed steps mean problems down the line. Bridging those gaps can be complex and even daunting.

What truly differentiates Ark Electronics from most other companies with factories in LCC's is our English-speaking, North American, and European-based manufacturing leadership team. With an international headquarters based in Irvine, California, and a European office in Bordeaux, France, Ark provides a seamless and unified option with a local-continent, single point of contact for our global and emerging consumer electronics, mobile communications, automotive, medical, and industrial IoT brands clients. We provide a management layer on behalf of our customers that harmonizes interactions with our own factories or between our 3^rd party affiliate partners to deliver optimal results. 

Scott Wiley, President and Chief Operating Officer of Ark Electronics, said, "Our unique approach offers the best of both worlds—global reach through our three China-located manufacturing sites, or if a customer prefers, a choice of other LCC affiliates located in other Asian countries, or in the EU, or Mexico. Our localized North American and European management presence in your time zone simplifies your interactions while still delivering customer-centric solutions. This global reach and local expertise approach plays to our strength in effective program management, ensuring timely execution, adherence to quality standards, and client satisfaction."

Facilitating this approach, Ark has established affiliate partnerships in North America, Asia, and Europe that provide localized design, engineering, and prototyping. Ark has also established low-cost manufacturing options in Mexico, Asia, and Eastern Europe. This approach enables smoother market entry and can, in some cases, significantly reduce the impact of tariffs while ensuring cost-competitive and localized solutions. 

Ark also holds multiple ISO and other quality certifications including ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO13485, ISO27001, ISO45001, and IATF 19649.

SOURCE Ark Electronics