SANTA ANA, Calif.—From humble beginnings 30 years ago, C.P. Chin, president of Express Manufacturing, Inc. (EMI), has turned his company from a garage-assembly startup into a powerhouse provider of high-mix, medium-to-high volume printed circuit board assembly and system integration.

The company, which is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 13485:2003 certified, has built its reputation on three principles: customer satisfaction, rapid response, and streamlined efficiency. Express Manufacturing is also ITAR registered and on its way to gaining AS 9100C certification. With headquarters in Southern California, EMI boasts 800 U.S. employees, another 660 employees at its China subsidiary, and 223,000 square feet of total manufacturing space after adding a fifth building last year in Santa Ana.

The company's singular focus on its customers has enabled it to maintain its steady growth, and Chin said that there are four areas his company focuses on: customer satisfaction, providing the lowest total cost of acquisition, providing manufacturing flexibility, and creating successful supply chain relationships. To maintain customer satisfaction, the company's management team studies customer feedback and makes necessary changes to processes on an ongoing basis. Similarly, performance charts enable the entire operation team to measure their progress and ensure that project requirements are being met on a real-time basis.

A second key to success is the ability to ensure that customers achieve the lowest total acquired cost. Unit cost is always an important factor in selecting an EMS provider, but it is just one of the many factors that figure in an overall success formula. Express Manufacturing strives to achieve the lowest unit cost when all overhead, management, communication, and yield costs are factored in.

Another success factor that has allowed EMI to flourish over the past 30 years is the creation of successful supply chain relationships. The company has exhibited loyalty to its suppliers, provided they continue to deliver high-quality products and services that mirror EMI's service philosophy. For example, EMI has standardized on Fuji production line equipment in both Santa Ana and China. This enables efficiencies in terms of training, operations and maintenance, as well as allowing seamless production transfer between China and the U.S. EMI has built an eco-system that embodies EMI, supply partners, design partners, and manufacturing capabilities, all working together to enable customer success, according to Chin.

Express Manufacturing, Inc. provides a full complement of services on the EMS side, handling everything from PCB layout and procurement to production consulting/support, testing, operations, and order fulfillment. Complete vertical integration—from specialized engineering services, such as printed circuit board layout, prototyping, and test development, to supply chain management, manufacturing, fulfillment programs, and service and refurbishment depot services—is said to allow EMI to capture efficiencies, maintain cost advantages, and deliver turnkey solutions to its customer base. The depth of services offered by EMI often enables customers to reduce the number of steps from design to production, thereby minimizing cost and time to market and maximizing value, according to Chin.