Following the startup world? How many times have you heard recently about a new device!! A smart electronic device! that’s connected to your phone, stores data, provides analysis and some other features… whether you are jogging, living in an apartment house or walking around an office everything is connected. Using another beaten word- IOT, the internet of things. A not so new industry coming on top of the industry 4.0, enabling the cheap design and scaling up of electronics manufacturing, PCB design, integrated circuits modules.
Developing an holistic approach to manufacturing is what sourcingBot.com and saferfq are doing. Simple, quick, as much automated as possible but not too much that you could not control and scale this project going forward. The idea is to take advantage of new online services that fundamentally change and reduce costs of product manufacturing.
IOT is not a trend but a real fundamental change, All the big software providers react to it in their own different perspective, T-mobile, Intel and other giants provide the infrastructure that’s required, securely and fast to answer data flow demands on a manufacturing floor that now sees 50% less people in white robes. Amazon AWS (https://aws.amazon.com/) and Microsoft Azure (official website) provide the framework to develop algorithms, stream data etc. and Adruino is providing a simple interface to develop electronics. When asked what created this trend, some said changes in IP configuration, some say internet speeds, BIG data allows to really analyse big amounts of data, sensors and other modules once expensive and hard to develop, now connect to any desktop with a set of drivers.
You still has to know how to design a PCB, but that’s it, the rest is done with online services
So not only that the electronics world is easier, its scaling. Scaling to sizes that basically any human being is now capable of designing his own home media electronic device that’s connected to the internet. Manufacturing world quickly adjusted and the new platform connecting IOT startups with a PCB designer is now done. If before ideation, products design, sourcing & procurement, electronics design, PCB manufacturing management each was a complex role, it is now all on 1 person, that sees the entire process from start to end. Or at least he can.
With so many online providers of PCB small quantity manufacturers, with turn over time of 2 days. Feels like a baby can create a new smart device any day. Unfortunately electronics are not that simple, and if you use smart sourcing services you can achieve more, plan for the scalability phase of manufacturing and run yourself in a cost effective manner from garage days.
Sourcing is done online, manufacturing is done with a close partner.
This is why sourcing with SourcingBot, doing conclusive risk management, finding the right suppliers and maintaining close connection with your BOM changes etc. is one way. From that point on its about finding a reliable source to manufacture, fast cheap but with the DFM (Design for manufacturing in mind) which is still a process that is communicated manually.
