Many products are so complicated that designing and prototyping them can be too time-consuming, difficult, and expensive, especially if your own team lacks expertise in corresponding fields. Electronics are a good example of such products. In this case, outsourcing electronics design to a third party is a smart solution.
Why Outsource Electronics Design?
- Lack of expertise
As mentioned above, in the case your own team isn’t qualified for the job, it is wiser to delegate the task to another team that specializes in electronics design services.
- Lack of resources
Even if a business has qualified experts, they often have more tasks than they can handle. If a new project can’t wait until the in-house resources are available, the task can be delegated to a third party.
- Cost-effectiveness
Sometimes the only reason why businesses outsource tasks is that hiring a third-party team for a short period is more cost-effective than hiring a full-time employee. Besides, hiring a specialist requires posting jobs, interviewing candidates, and integrating new employees with the team, which also takes a lot of time.
- One-time task
Another common reason why companies outsource certain tasks is that they only need the job to be done once. For example, if a company has a product idea but doesn’t specialize in electronics design, there’s no point in setting up a new department for the sake of a one-time job. When the device is ready for mass production, the company will focus on advertising and selling it and maybe will never come back to the design phase again.
How to Outsource the Smart Way?
When choosing from dozens of electronics design firms, there are several things you should take into account.
1. Expertise
Depending on what kind of product you need to develop, you want to make sure the candidate has the required experience, technology platforms, testing equipment, etc. A good idea is to look for companies that have already done projects similar to yours.
2. Region
On the one hand, working with a business located on the other side of the planet is difficult because of time lag. On the other hand, price rates differ a lot by region, so hiring a Russian team that charges $25-100 per hour is much more cost-efficient than dealing with an American team that charges $50-300 per hour.
3. Payment terms
You also want to make sure the company you’re hiring offers suitable payment terms. Today, many companies offer both fixed-price (suitable for a clearly defined scope of work) and time-and-material models (suitable for research and development tasks).
4. Discuss project management
Before hiring a candidate, make sure the third party offers suitable communication and control options. It doesn’t mean the team has to be online 24/7. But as an employer, you need to know who’s in charge, who’s the primary contact point, how and when the contractor will make progress reports, etc.
5. Set clear goals
And finally, after you found a suitable electronics design company, your next move is to provide them with a clear Product Design Specification (PDS), i.e. a document with all the technical requirements for the project. Remember, the better you explain what kind of product you want and its key features, the less complication you will face in the future.
A successful outsourcing experience can turn into long-lasting relationships with a professional team that will always be happy to give you a hand when needed.