News

New function will allow for collaborative early NPI engagement with customers

Leading electronics manufacturer Chemigraphic has launched a dedicated design centre, investing significant engineering resource into optimising customers’ designs at the proposals stage.

Instead of simply working to specified designs from customers and highlighting any major errors or risk factors, this free of charge, proactive service ensures that Chemigraphic’s skills and expertise will positively influence the product development process.

Chemigraphic has a 130-strong workforce including over 30 multi-disciplined engineers, providing EMS support to a number of clients in various markets including medical, defence, transport, power, industrial and security. The design centre also provides customers with a collaborative workspace at the company’s Crawley headquarters, which customer engineering teams can visit to discuss concepts, designs and processes with Chemigraphic’s manufacturing experts.

This level of early NPI engagement between Chemigraphic and its clients delivers a number of Design for Manufacture (DfM) benefits, including rapid time to market, efficient qualification and procurement of parts, reduction of costs and mitigation of risk factors which otherwise encumber products for the duration of their lifetime.

The new offering will also provide a platform for Chemigraphic to continue to develop expertise in emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing, environmental ruggedisation, wireless devices and specialist battery systems.

John Johnston, Sales and NPI Director, comments: “By engaging with customers early on, Chemigraphic can optimise product designs to reduce cost, make processes more robust and aid the transition through the prototype and production phases. By making such an emphasis we can ensure that we are helping our customers to choose the best materials and manufacturing methods to achieve product realisation quickly and smoothly.”

Chinese office marks the start of firm’s global expansion

Leading electronics manufacturer Chemigraphic is making its first entry into China by opening a brand new sourcing office in Shenzhen, from which it can directly procure quality bespoke parts at competitive regional prices for its global customers. Shenzhen, in China’s Guangdong Province in the South-East of the country, is a major financial, business and electronics centre, linking Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland.

Chemigraphic, a major player in the Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) sector, designs, builds and assembles complex products for a wide range of specialist UK and Global technology brands, supporting them at every stage of their product lifecycle. The launch of the Chinese office is the first step in a long-term plan to expand the business globally and build on its already successful track history in procurement, supply chain management and EMS manufacture and assembly.

The Shenzhen sourcing office gives Chemigraphic a direct window to the regional market. This means it can procure quality parts cost-effectively for those customers with longer product forecasts who are able to outsource purchasing to outside of the UK. Having a presence in China also provides Chemigraphic with a platform to assess and monitor new suppliers and significantly de-risk the sourcing of complex or high value parts. This is an important consideration for the firm’s customers, especially where product reliability and regulatory compliance are critical.

The team in Shenzhen will be headed by sourcing manager Maggie Wen. Maggie comes from a strong purchasing background, having spent over ten years working for various electronic service providers within sourcing and purchasing roles.

John Johnston, Chemigraphic’s NPI Director who is helping to oversee the launch of the Chinese office, comments: “Our presence in China will further cement our ability to provide our customers with a seamless and cost-effective supply chain. In the UK, we are committed to procuring the best parts at the best price for our customers, and the Chinese office will enable us to facilitate parts in even higher volumes and at lower costs, via direct access to regional pricing structures.

“Having someone of Maggie’s calibre, with her detailed knowledge of the EMS sector and the Chinese market is an added bonus and we are delighted to have her leading the Chemigraphic team in China.”

Chemigraphic, one of the UK’s largest product support and system integration businesses, has acquired CRS Electronics Ltd – a successful, Hertfordshire based, contract manufacturing business for an undisclosed sum.

CRS has been one of the region’s leaders in Electronic Manufacturing Services for the last 40 years and has built an impressive base of customers – supporting an even more impressive array of products. The products that CRS support range from maritime communication systems and Marine Electronics through to control systems for Rail Transport and LED lighting.

Commenting on the acquisition Chemigraphic CEO, Stephen Perkins, said today:

“I am delighted to have been able to attract such a quality business as CRS Electronics and I welcome Colin, his customers and his team into the Chemigraphic Group. CRS complements our strategy to become the UK’s leader in supporting complex product and electronic systems on behalf of global OEM’s.”

CRS Electronics founder, Colin Souter, said:….”This is the right combination at the right time in CRS journey. Chemigraphic is a quality business and I feel confident that my customers will have a good home”. Colin will stay on with the combined business.