How to Be a Good PCB Customer

See how clear communication, fair negotiations and timely follow-through can turn an ordinary buyer into a valued manufacturing partner.

I am a PCB broker, a middleman who buys and sells printed circuit boards. Not only does my company have to meet the needs of our customers, but we also must accommodate the needs of the manufacturers in Asia that we work with. Otherwise, quality product do not ship on time.

I have always regarded feedback as a gift, especially when it leads to better service and relationships with my manufacturing partners that I can depend upon.

I get that important feedback by asking my suppliers not so much what I should do but what they would prefer me not to do.

Here are some of the things I’ve been told over the years:

Do not assume that just because you have a purchase order, the factory is desperate for your business. With current market challenges such as material shortages, tariffs and the demands of the AI boom, factories are not actually in need of just any customers. But they do need and want good customers. Until you can prove you will be a good PCB customer, they will likely view you as more of a liability.

Don’t delay in awarding business. Signing an NDA, requesting multiple quotes and asking engineering questions is fine, but there must be business awarded and soon. A PCB buyer may think they are doing proper due diligence, but the factory sees all of this as unpaid sales time, free engineering work and an opportunity that could have gone to a “real” customer.

Asking for a free qualification run is understandable, but don’t treat that sample like it costs nothing. There are over 100 manufacturing steps required to make a quality PCB. The factory agrees to a qualification run in hopes of winning your business. But if feedback on the sample (good or bad) is not received in a timely manner, your company will be remembered as a risk.

Tough price negotiation is expected, but it must be done honorably. Waiving a fake competitor’s quote and demanding a much lower price will not win a supplier’s heart. The factory not only sells the final product but also the engineering, labor and machine time to build that quality PCB. Pushing the supplier to a lower price could lead to substitute (cheaper) materials being used, production delays and relaxed quality oversight. And when that happens, is it the factory’s fault or the buyer’s unreasonable downward price push that engineered their own quality of service problems?

There are customers and then there are good customers, and factories are rating them constantly. A customer not regarded as a good one gets treated as low priority. They won’t get their quotes returned immediately, email requests may be delayed and pricing isn’t always as favorable. A good customer gets the best quotes and preferential treatment during holiday rushes. That good customer is also forewarned of material delays. In addition, their product gets sent to the freight forwarder immediately upon completion.

Funny story: When I was a young buyer on one of my first trips to Asia, the factory sent a car to pick me up from the hotel. I was greeted by the international sales manager who invited me to ride in the provided transportation. It was a Mercedes complete with a chauffeur, privacy curtains on the side windows and bottles of ice-cold water for the drive. I arrived at the factory and was treated like a king upon entry, with my name in lights welcoming me to the plant.

Unfortunately, during my tour of the facility, both the supplier and I realized my proposed business was not a good fit for this manufacturer.

My departure was cordial enough, but the supplier had called a taxi to take me back to my hotel. A good customer would have again gotten the Mercedes. To paraphrase Julius Caesar: I came, I saw, I was hailed a cab.”

Today’s PCB buyer must constantly prove to be a strategic partner by being clear and consistent in communications, issuing regular purchase orders, providing realistic forecasts and, most importantly, paying on time. Buyers with this “good customer” mentality gain offshore manufacturing partners willing to invest in the growth of the relationship.End of article content

Greg Papandrew has more than 25 years’ experience selling PCBs directly for various fabricators and as the founder of a leading distributor. He is cofounder of DirectPCB (directpcb.com); greg@directpcb.com.