EMSNOW Manufacturer Profile: PCI Private Limited

From time to time, we do a deep dive into one of the industry’s EMS organizations to alert our audience to new potential partners. The industry keeps evolving, bringing on new strengths and capabilities, and we report on these changes through case studies from time to time.

Founded in 1971, PCI is a leading specialist in electronics manufacturing services (EMS) headquartered in Singapore. It focuses on a comprehensive approach to manufacturing, operating as an extended resource of its global OEM customers who are leaders in their respective industries. Over the last 50 years, PCI has grown its team and established a strong reputation for depth of design and engineering capabilities, fast time-to-market, unparalleled quality and customer satisfaction, a well-integrated supply base, and well-executed capabilities. By offering comprehensive services that address the entire product lifecycle, including product design, manufacturing, testing, qualification, and supply chain management, PCI is a highly adaptable and responsive partner to its customers.

PCI’s CEO is EL Teo, who joined PCI in 1995 as a procurement manager, became Chief Operating Officer in 2003, and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer in 2010. Under EL’s transformative leadership, the organization has rebuilt its engineering capabilities, expanded its manufacturing footprints in Asia to drive a sustainable growth strategy. Since 2020 has brought unimagined supply chain disruptions to the global electronics manufacturing ecosystem and is showing no signs of abating, PCI’s successful navigation through this storm has been a testament to EL’s leadership.

“We are customer-focused, we design innovatively, and we deliver products through high quality manufacturing processes,” said EL Teo. ”Our customers see us as an integral part of their product development and supply chain ecosystems.”

In 2020, PCI demonstrated a continued growth trajectory despite the COVID-19 pandemic, showcasing the company’s resilience, robust business continuity and adaptability. PCI was able to maintain stable operations without major disruption due to quick and decisive implementation of COVID-19 safety management measures and tight management supervision.

Innovation in Product Development Cycle

Design capabilities are an increasingly important EMS service offering, and OEMs are looking for expertise from their manufacturing partners. PCI is committed to innovation on behalf of their customers, able to provide design and manufacturing services to global brands in industrial, smart home, telematics, and specialty equipment business segments.

The engineers at PCI are specialists in design, test, qualification, and manufacturing of RF/wireless connectivity, an area that is of heightened interest for IoT applications. With in-depth knowledge of wireless connectivity (e.g. WIFI, BLE, LPWAN, Cellular, etc.) and a wide range of sensors (e.g. motion, temperature, humidity, vibration, etc.), PCI engineers are equipped to help accelerate customers’ product development cycles and speed time to market. They can design and build smart products that enhance the way end customers live–from smart grill accessories, smart bed controllers to audio remote controllers and irrigation systems. Because they have already assembled and built many innovative connected devices and supported a wide range of customers’ new product introductions they can jump-start these technologies for customers.

Similarly, PCI’s telematics platform can provide the same innovation advantage in asset management applications. For fleet management, increasingly complex operations due to strict regulations, safety, increased fuel and maintenance costs, and regional expansion activities, require integrated one stop solutions that can help businesses better manage and operate their vehicles. PCI’s platform meets these requirements.

Another innovative design solution for customers is PCI’s single-board computer. The increase of Internet of Things (IoT) technology adoption and the challenge of improving product time-to-market has prompted an adaptation of product design incorporating Single Board Computer (SBC). There are many off-the-shelf SBCs available in the market, but they are generic and lack customization support.

PCI’s SBC platforms are based on NXP’s System on Chip (SoC) such as i.MX8 and i.MX6 which runs on Linux or Android. These SoCs can be used to develop the product software, and in parallel, customized and cost-effective hardware for the product in terms of form, fit, and function.

Material Planning Expertise

PCI’s investments in advanced supply chain planning tools, which include predictive and machine learning analytics have proven their worth. Product forecasts regularly change in line with shifting demands. And high-mix low-volume and volatility in demands require more than just an experienced supply chain provider—it requires a highly adaptable, agile, and flexible partner with experience in complex supply chain management.

With rich expertise in integrated supply chain management, PCI provides more than ‘just-in-time’ for its partners. They can help overcome production uncertainties such as forecast fluctuations using deep expertise in the management of complex supply chain processes, process sequences, schedules, routings, forecasts and logistics services, ensuring end-to-end planning through the entire supply chain. PCI expertise includes:

• Integrated Business Planning
• Digital Supplier Network
• Warehouse Digitalization
• Manufacturing Execution System

PCI’s commitment to quality extends beyond certifications. Quality control is part of the DNA of PCI’s corporate culture. The service teams consider themselves deeply embedded within their customers’ manufacturing organizations. This approach can deliver substantial benefits in product profitability, especially in high mix, low volume applications. HMLV is a common challenge among Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) bringing frequent production change-over between assemblies and processes.

As product model mix increases and production volume decreases, EMS providers are now discovering that historic manufacturing methodologies no longer apply and a more agile, flexible, and effective manufacturing supply chain management must be put in place to address the very real challenges. This is one of PCI’s sweet spots and we look forward to watching PCI bring new efficiencies and design chain innovation to the OEM customers with which it engages.

To learn more about PCI, please visit https://www.pciltd.com/