A high-stakes recreation of precision and technique, the EMS trade is advanced. Delving into methods of mastering its challenges with a customer-centric strategy, Sudharsan Ramajeyam of Thinksemi Infotech narrates their journey to EFY’s Nitisha Dubey and Nidhi Agarwal.
Q. What providers does your organization present in electronics manufacturing and distribution?
A. We function throughout 4 key verticals inside the digital system design and manufacturing (ESDM) sector. Our experience spans analysis and growth, digital element distribution, digital manufacturing providers (EMS), and wire harnessing options. From preliminary design to full-scale manufacturing, we offer end-to-end options throughout all 4 verticals.
Q. Who’re your goal clients?
A. Our main goal clients are the automotive unique gear producer (OEM) sector, which drives our income. On this phase, all of them are offered direct help. We additionally cater to purchasers who require design, growth, reverse engineering, and new product growth options.
Q. How do you categorise your clients concerning job, operate, trade, and seniority?
A. As I mentioned, clients are throughout industries, primarily the automotive and medical sectors. In automotive, we work with each conventional and electrical automobile (EV) producers, making certain our options align with trade developments. A big a part of our income comes from medical machine producers too. We additionally work with firms within the Web of Issues (IoT) sector and residential home equipment trade, however income from these segments varies based mostly on market tendencies. Our clients span executives, engineers, procurement groups, and product growth professionals.
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Q. Would you prefer to name your self an unique design producer?
A. No, we’re not an unique design producer (ODM). We’re a design-based, tailored manufacturing firm. Our work is to help each customer-provided designs in addition to our in-house developed designs with end-to-end manufacturing options. Whether or not a buyer brings their very own design or wants help to create a brand new one from scratch, we will deal with each. Our workforce is able to serving to from the preliminary idea by way of to the completed product.
Q. Do you’ve specialised groups to handle new product initiatives coming from a consumer?
A. Sure, we have now a devoted new product growth (NPD) workforce and a cross-functional workforce (CFT) to make sure a seamless growth course of. The NPD workforce is chargeable for evaluating technical feasibility, validating the invoice of supplies (BOM), reviewing Gerber information, and supporting customer-provided samples. In the meantime, the CFT focuses on analysing challenge timelines, figuring out potential challenges, and planning the manufacturing course of for easy execution. Collectively, these groups perform all needed preliminary assessments earlier than precise manufacturing begins, making certain effectivity and minimising dangers.
Q. What are the principle steps concerned from speaking to a consumer to delivering the completed product?
A. Understanding buyer challenges is vital to delivering a dependable product. Our R&D workforce categorises queries into recent concepts or reverse engineering wants. For reverse engineering, we analyse samples to establish parts and take needed actions. For recent concepts, our design workforce works with the element workforce to test market availability and potential end-of-life (EOL) dangers. Early discussions amongst R&D, CFT, and element groups assist create a BOM with a number of accredited vendor listing (AVL) choices to scale back manufacturing dependencies.
As soon as designs and prototypes are accredited, we coordinate with producers on element availability, cycle instances, and printed circuit board (PCB) necessities. PCB design aligns with EMS capabilities and follows CFT workforce inputs. Gerber file creation and alignment are arrange for our manufacturing course of. Field-building and wiring harness groups be sure that connector specs meet required requirements. Every workforce is concerned at each stage to finish initiatives easily with minimal points.
Q. How does the R&D workforce help product growth?
A. At the moment, it helps energy electronics and brushless direct present (BLDC)-based options. When clients want design and growth providers, even from different industries, we join them with the appropriate specialists to develop product options. We additionally deal with BOM design and optimisation to assist cut back product prices. This strategy permits clients to entry full options in a single place.
Q. Inform us extra about your R&D workforce.
A. Our R&D workforce hails from an Indian Institute of Expertise Madras (IIT-M) analysis incubation background and brings deep technical experience throughout a number of domains. They specialize in reverse engineering, new product growth, and fixing advanced challenges at each the design and manufacturing levels. Extremely aware of buyer inputs, the workforce excels at understanding distinctive necessities and delivering tailor-made options with pace and precision.
Q. How do you handle to fabricate merchandise for numerous sectors effectively?
A. We now have assigned leaders to every enterprise sector to make sure easy administration and buyer help. A pacesetter will oversee buyer wants within the automotive sector, whereas one other will handle the telecommunications sector. These leaders will deal with operations, coordinate with clients, and guarantee environment friendly processes.
Our facility has three automated manufacturing strains. One is devoted to analysis, growth, and small manufacturing runs, whereas the opposite two deal with mass manufacturing. With 9 shifts working day by day, we effectively meet demand. An actual-time dashboard tracks operations, and any points are rapidly resolved. Separating the manufacturing strains prevents conflicts, permitting each R&D and large-scale manufacturing to run with out delays.
Q. How do you guarantee high quality throughout R&D and mass manufacturing strains? Do you’ve two completely different high quality management groups?
A. Every manufacturing line has its personal set of line inspectors, NPD, and CFT members to take care of strict and specialised high quality management (QC). To make sure high quality throughout each R&D and manufacturing, we observe a strong multi-stage QC course of. It begins with incoming high quality management (IQC), the place all incoming supplies are completely inspected. Throughout manufacturing, in-process management (IPC) screens every stage to take care of consistency and accuracy. We additionally make use of automated optical inspection (AOI) to detect visible defects, whereas devoted through-hole (PTH) and PCB design specification (PDS) high quality management groups deal with inspections particular to through-hole parts and PCB boards. Lastly, our merchandise bear an intensive test by closing QC inspectors earlier than dispatch. In complete, we carry out high quality checks at eight to 12 crucial levels, making certain excessive reliability and near-zero rejection charges.
Q. What occurs if a manufacturing line stops working?
A. There are strong offline options and contingency plans in place to make sure uninterrupted manufacturing. Processes reminiscent of programme loading, element preparation, and picture processing are dealt with offline prematurely. This enables us to seamlessly transition to the following product setup inside simply 5 to 10 minutes if a manufacturing line stops. In consequence, we get rid of any bottlenecks or delays attributable to machine downtime.
Q. How do you be sure that prototypes match the ultimate product?
A. When launching a product, challenges usually come up that require iterative enhancements till the shopper is happy with testing. Environmental components are additionally thought-about. If a buyer wants an outer enclosure, we assess whether or not it ought to be steel or plastic and guarantee it doesn’t have an effect on digital parts. Safety in opposition to water, mud, and pollution is vital for correct operate. We acquire buyer enter on software circumstances and phase necessities to design appropriate circuits, enclosures, and safety methods reminiscent of IP65, IP67, or IP68-rated options. Understanding buyer challenges helps in delivering a purposeful product.
Q. What have been the challenges in transferring from prototype to mass manufacturing?
A. Many firms design their merchandise utilizing generally out there parts, much like the strategy in Korea, China, and Taiwan. They base their designs on market availability and finalise them in the course of the R&D section. We observe the identical technique, choosing parts which might be straightforward to supply and have shorter lead instances. This strategy permits a easy transition into manufacturing with out challenges associated to element modifications. Addressing potential points in the course of the design stage can forestall future manufacturing obstacles.
Q. What are the challenges in design modifications?
A. We collect buyer enter based mostly on their suggestions and deal with design and growth actions. If modifications are wanted in current designs, we ask clients to specify the required modifications, whether or not for the whole design or a selected part like energy enter, frequency, module updates, or communication interfaces. Since a number of segments are concerned, we hearken to the shopper to establish needed modifications for a brand new model, reminiscent of Model 1.2. As an alternative of redesigning all the things, we focus solely on the required modifications. This ensures that any connectivity, energy, or performance points are addressed.
Q. What kind of machines do you employ in your manufacturing course of? Do you like new or second-hand machines?
A. We at all times put money into brand-new machines fairly than second-hand gear. Utilizing new machines ensures constant product high quality, lowers manufacturing downtime, and helps high-volume manufacturing. Second-hand machines usually include operational dangers, lack correct certification data, and will require frequent upkeep, resulting in manufacturing delays. With new machines, we profit from producer help, together with service personnel who can rapidly resolve any technical points inside half-hour to an hour.
Q. Do you employ automation in manufacturing? If sure, then how?
A. We do. Three absolutely automated manufacturing strains are designed to scale back cycle instances and minimise manpower necessities. As soon as the PCB enters the system, the absolutely assembled product emerges on the different finish, making certain a seamless, hands-free course of. Every line requires solely three to 4 personnel for supervision, emphasising full automation. Our manufacturing facility specialises in PCB meeting with full automation.
Q. How do you retain gear working and keep away from breakdowns?
A. We’re implementing a synthetic intelligence (AI)-driven system inside our manufacturing execution system (MES) to boost effectivity. This technique connects all manufacturing gear to a central server, enabling automated monitoring and notifications. As an example, if two preventive upkeep periods are scheduled for the month, the system triggers alerts prematurely, sometimes two days prior, reminding us to provoke upkeep. This ensures well timed coordination with machine producers for servicing. AI performs a vital position in automating reminders for annual upkeep contract (AMC) and machine upkeep. Moreover, a workforce is there to handle and oversee this method.
Q. What’s the position of AI in trendy digital manufacturing? Are you utilizing it?
A. AI-driven calculations for element modifications optimise our cycle time. The AI module that we use analyses machine cycle instances, evaluates the BOM to establish repetitive parts on each high and backside layers, and adjusts machine operations accordingly. We cut back pointless loading and unloading by choosing the best choice, stopping time wastage. This AI-based strategy, once more, reduces changeover time, improves machine effectivity, and ensures easy manufacturing workflows whereas sustaining productiveness.
Q. How do you do high quality management?
A. Our high quality management follows strict parameters, adhering to Institute for Printed Circuits (IPC), Worldwide Automotive Process Drive (IATF) for automotive, and Worldwide Group for Standardization (ISO) requirements. We now have in-house testing amenities, together with AI-driven floor mount know-how (SMT), 3D solid-based printing, X-ray inspection, and in-circuit testing (ICT) for feasibility and purposeful {hardware} checks. Moreover, our purposeful circuit testing (FCT) verifies full box-build assemblies. With in-house testing labs, we guarantee manufacturing stability and cut back subject points. All checks are performed internally with superior gear.
Q. How do you differentiate your self from different EMS firms?
A. We differ from different EMS firms by integrating core capabilities below one roof: digital element distribution, wiring harness manufacturing, R&D, and EMS. In contrast to EMS firms that use third-party sourcing groups, Thinksemi procures supplies immediately from producers, eradicating dependency on exterior suppliers. This strategy reduces manufacturing prices, improves management over high quality, and optimises lead instances.
With an in-house R&D workforce and wiring harness manufacturing, Thinksemi gives end-to-end options with out a number of distributors, providing benefits in value, provide chain reliability, and growth.
Q. What’s your present manufacturing capability?
A. We now have a manufacturing capability of 15,000 mushy boards per day.
Q. How do you deal with element sourcing?
A. We now have a robust international sourcing community with places of work in Hong Kong and Singapore. We’re additionally a direct authorised distributor for 25 to 30 element strains.
Q. Do you employ solely Indian parts, or do you additionally get them from different international locations?
A. Whereas we have now just lately began digital element packaging in India, presently, about 75 to 80 per cent of our parts are sourced from abroad, together with Korea, China, Taiwan, and different areas. We utilise Indian-manufactured parts at any time when they’re out there.
Q. How do you make sure the authenticity and traceability of parts?
A. For authorised parts, we offer a certificates of conformance (COC) from the producer. If a buyer requires parts from non-authorised sources, we help them by acquiring White Laboratory certification for counterfeit traceability. Moreover, we guarantee unique certification from producers and unbiased laboratories for verification.
Q. What methods do you employ for provide chain administration?
A. We now have a provide chain administration system dealt with by professionals with 12 to fifteen years of expertise. Our sourcing workforce in Singapore has entry to international markets. They establish suppliers, test inventory availability, and cut back counterfeit dangers. We observe verification processes to make sure all sourced parts are unique, utilizing numerous platforms to evaluate authenticity. Furthermore, an unique customs home agent (CHA) manages import processes. By prearranging customs clearances, we keep away from delays and preserve provide chain movement. The Singapore-based workforce consolidates a number of parts below a single bill earlier than transport to India, which reduces value and streamlines operations.
Q. How do you guarantee well timed supply?
A. We guarantee well timed supply by rigorously planning manufacturing timelines and proactively managing all preliminary steps. For prototype and pilot manufacturing, we decide to a six to eight-week timeline, whereas quantity manufacturing takes 12 to fifteen weeks, relying on element availability.
To keep away from delays, our R&D workforce opinions the BOM early to establish and change any problematic parts. If a element has a protracted lead time, we discover appropriate options that don’t influence circuit performance. Moreover, our environment friendly international sourcing is a bonus; we will rapidly test inventory availability and safe crucial parts. These measures assist us meet supply commitments.
Q. What decides a challenge’s value?
A. It depends upon the phase and the shopper’s necessities. For instance, if a buyer requests an annual amount of fifty,000 or 100,000 items, we design accordingly. The design and costing course of is tailor-made to the precise phase, whether or not dwelling home equipment, IoT, automotive, or medical. The phase and amount are essential in figuring out our design technique and price estimation.
Q. What are your fee cycle phrases?
A. We observe a structured fee cycle based mostly on micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) phrases. For purchasers falling below the MSME class, we provide a 45-day fee cycle as per normal trade practices. A couple of clients additionally function on a 60-day cycle, relying on mutual agreements. We be sure that our fee construction helps clients whereas sustaining a balanced monetary workflow. Our adherence to MSME phrases ensures easy money movement and helps us preserve a robust enterprise relationship with our companions.
Q. Do you face any main obstacles on this trade?
A. Not but, as a result of, you see, the Indian authorities helps native manufacturing by way of insurance policies. The 30 per cent anti-dumping duties on imported PCBs present a chance for home producers to extend manufacturing. This initiative strengthens the Indian electronics ecosystem and reduces reliance on imports. The hurdles related to the fee cycle are restricted; most clients observe the MSME normal phrases as mentioned.
Q. What’s new in high-precision electronics?
A. Many producers embrace AI-based equipment to scale back cycle instances and enhance value effectivity. As I mentioned earlier than, we use them too. These machines now help even probably the most minor digital parts, making it simpler to populate boards with precision. Whether or not coping with massive or small parts, they provide seamless adaptability. At the moment, we supply our machines from Japan. Japanese producers have built-in AI into their machines to simplify operations, minimise complexities, and improve productiveness.
Q. How do you see the competitors on this subject?
A. We don’t see ourselves as rivals to others; as an alternative, we focus solely on our imaginative and prescient and targets. India has lengthy relied on China for turn-key options and parts, however the authorities’s ‘Make in India’ initiative now prioritizes native manufacturing over imports. Subsidies have boosted this shift, prompting extra clients to decide on home producers.
Q. What has been your gross sales and income development from final yr to this yr?
A. This firm was based in 2016 with an preliminary annual income of roughly ₹12 million. Through the years, it has skilled vital development, reaching ₹750 million in annual income immediately. This development may be attributed to our element sourcing, robust manufacturing capabilities, and customer-focused strategy.
Q. Are all of your workers engineers?
A. No, not all of them are engineers. Roughly 65 per cent of our workforce consists of expert manpower, whereas the remaining workers come from numerous backgrounds. We preserve a balanced workforce to make sure effectivity throughout all facets of the enterprise.
Q. What are your key hiring methods for attracting high expertise?
A. We focus extra on loyalty and belief fairly than simply technical expertise. Whereas expertise may be developed by way of coaching, loyalty and belief are qualities that outline long-term worker relationships. We imagine that workers who’re dedicated and reliable may be educated to grow to be expert professionals. This philosophy has helped us construct a devoted and dependable workforce contributing to the corporate’s development.
Q. What are the present coaching tendencies within the trade, and the way do you practice your workers?
A. Coaching in our trade is primarily dealt with by skilled professionals who go on their experience to new workforce members. At Thinksemi, we have now appointed two senior personnel, every with 10 to fifteen years of trade expertise, to supervise coaching programmes. These specialists be sure that workers achieve the mandatory technical information and hands-on expertise required for manufacturing actions.
Q. Does your organization obtain any authorities help?
A. Sure, we actively utilise all authorities subsidies and help programmes out there to our trade. We persistently work with authorities initiatives that promote native manufacturing and assist firms scale their operations.
Q. How vital is an internet site and digital advertising and marketing in your small business development? What digital advertising and marketing strategies have been only for you?
A. Digital advertising and marketing has performed a major position in increasing Thinksemi’s attain. Initially, we relied on direct buyer visits, however as our firm grew, we realised the potential of digital platforms. Our advertising and marketing workforce has been instrumental in boosting model visibility throughout India and globally. Moreover, social media platforms, particularly LinkedIn, have been key in producing new enterprise leads.
Our funding in digital advertising and marketing has helped us join with extra clients, enhance model recognition, and drive income development. At the moment, 25 to 30% of our income comes from leads generated by way of that.
Q. What are your advertising and marketing methods for rising the corporate?
A. Moderately than counting on aggressive advertising and marketing methods, our strategy is to know buyer ache factors and supply options that deal with the problems they face. I repeat this many times. Many purchasers face difficulties associated to delayed deliveries, excessive procurement prices, transportation bottlenecks, and provide chain disruptions. We glance to establish these issues and supply well timed, cost-effective options. This customer-centric strategy has been the important thing to our enterprise development.
