Choosing an EMS Industry Supply Chain Management Consultant

It is difficult for a supply chain management consultant serving clients in diverse industries (e.g., automotive, consumer packaged goods, food products) to effectively consult to original equipment manufacturers on supply chain strategies pertaining to the electronics manufacturing services industry.

Most supply chain consultants focus on minimizing material cost and physical distribution cost and assume parity of performance among EMS providers in the critical areas of quality process control and component supply chain management.

However, there are considerable differences in these areas among EMS providers that a general supply chain management consultant would be unable to recognize or measure.


The supply chain management consultant must be able to perform exacting analysis of the client’s assembly, test and quality control needs to determine specific equipment and process requirements.

To recommend outsourcing strategies and potential EMS providers the supply chain management consultant needs an in-depth understanding of printed circuit board assembly process control, in-circuit test, functional test, burn-in and configuration methods. 

The effective supply chain management consultant also needs comprehensive understanding of manufacturing cost structures, pricing practices and of supply contract terms and conditions specific to the EMS industry. 

Since the global EMS industry is complex and rapidly changing, an effective supply chain management consultant needs to stay current on latest industry developments in technology and business issues. 

What was best practice in EMS supply chain management few years ago is often sub-optimal practice today.