Industry
Electronics & smart hardware: the process is the product.
Electronics is the category where the supplier's process control is the deliverable. Two factories can quote the same board and produce very different failure rates — the difference is only visible on the floor.
- PCB, SMT, assembly, testing
- Shenzhen + Dongguan supply chain
- Prototype vs industrialization vs volume
Why this category
What makes this category different to buy.
Electronics concentrates around Shenzhen and Dongguan, where PCB fabrication, SMT assembly, testing and component supply sit within one working radius. That density is why a hardware product can go from design change to sample in days.
The risk in electronics is hidden in process control: solder quality, ESD handling, test coverage and the discipline of the line. None of it shows up in a catalogue.
The stage you are at changes what to check. At prototype you care about engineering support and iteration speed; at industrialization you care about DFM and test fixtures; at volume you care about yield and repeatability.
Certification is the other half. CE, FCC and safety marks are testable and frequently misunderstood by first-time buyers — a certificate that does not name your product does not cover your product.
Supply chain shape
Who actually makes which part.
Which supplier does which step, and where the risk concentrates.
- PCB fabricationThe bare board — layer count, material and surface finish set the baseline.
- SMT assemblyComponent placement and reflow — where solder quality and ESD discipline matter.
- Final assemblyEnclosure, cables, battery, testing — often a different plant from the SMT.
- TestingICT, functional test and burn-in — ask how much is automated versus by hand.
- Certification labsIndependent labs run the actual CE/FCC/safety testing; a supplier report is not the same thing.
On the floor
Checks specific to this category.
What to verify on site
- 01.ESD discipline on the SMT line — wrist straps and grounding, not just signs on the wall.
- 02.Solder paste control and reflow profiles, and whether they can show a real process record.
- 03.Test coverage — what is actually tested per board, and how failures are tracked.
- 04.Component sourcing — genuine versus grey-market parts, especially for ICs and batteries.
- 05.Whether the enclosure, battery and main board are made in the same plant or subcontracted.
- 06.A certificate that names your specific product and matches the actual production site.
Numbers
MOQ, sampling and lead time — the ranges we actually see.
Ranges, not promises. Ask us for the driver behind any specific number before you plan a launch around it.
- PCB MOQOften low per board, but setup and testing dominate small runs.
- SMT setupStencils, programming and fixtures are a separate cost from the unit price.
- SamplingPrototype, engineering sample, then pre-production — each a different stage of trust.
- CertificationWeeks to months, and it cannot start until the final design is frozen.
- Lead timeComponent availability, not assembly, is usually what moves the date.
Reading these rangesThese are ranges we see regularly, not quotes. The number that matters most in electronics is usually the one nobody quoted — setup, fixtures and certification.
Compliance
Target-market requirements you cannot skip.
Certification by destination market
- European Union: CE marking, plus the EMC and safety directives that apply to your product class.
- United States: FCC for intentional and unintentional radiators, plus applicable safety certification.
- Batteries and power: transport and safety requirements that sit on top of the product rules.
- Labelling and documentation: the technical file and declaration that back up the mark.
What we don't do
What we can and cannot verify here
We check that certificates exist, that they name the right product and site, and that the lab is credibly independent. We do not interpret standards.
- We do not certify electronics — nothing we issue substitutes for accredited testing.
- We cannot tell you a product passes a standard; only a lab can.
- We will not rely on a supplier-provided certificate alone, and we will say so.
- Requirements change. Confirm current obligations for your destination before committing.
Before you book: how we verify a factory
Every supplier in this category goes through the same five documented checks before it reaches your itinerary.
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