Product category: Keyboards, Switches and other Human/Machine Interfaces
News Release from: Rowland Automation
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 5 May 2005

Partnership agreements streamline Asian sourcing

Having recently monitored a 2 year trial period, Rowland Automation has now signed preferential partnership agreements (PPA) with three major manufacturers in China

Having recently monitored a 2 year trial period, Rowland Automation has now signed preferential partnership agreements (PPAs) with three major manufacturers in China. Focusing on custom design and manufacture, the main purpose of the PPAs are improve communication and provide a clear understanding for both parties to exactly what the critical issues are and what is expected of all concerned, in order to receive a fully compliant product.

According to Rowland Automation MD Chris Rowlands: 'Many a sad tale can be told about subcontracting out a product to Asia, even with a clearly defined specification giving seemingly precise detail to ensure what will be supplied is fully compliant'.

'And what happens next?'.

'We all at first try to think how this could have been avoided'.

'In most cases the answer to this is quite simple: there must always be a clear understanding between the design authority and the manufacturer'.

This is often difficult enough within the UK and requires considerable design liaison.

Says Rowlands: 'It simply is not good enough to mail out an RFQ with a product specification and follow it up with a purchase order and then hope all will be OK'.

'More than likely it won't be'.

With 28 years experience of design and manufacture Rowland Automation has always advocated that a keyboard, touch panel, or any other HMI interface is the main focal and command point of any system.

'Regardless of its value', says Rowlands, 'get this bit wrong and the end product will be a disaster'.

The importance of the user interface must therefore never be underestimated and must account for many difficult and challenging design issues that are often overlooked and not included within the procurement specification.

With a full understanding of how to resolve and overcome these challenges Rowland Automation has successfully embodied clear objectives within the PPA to ensure that the delivered product complies with the agreed specification.

Chris Rowlands has spent considerable time in China working with three companies and has successfully agreed and completed the PPAs with all three.

Having evolved over the last 2 years the PPAs are unique to Rowland Automation and include clearly defined quality acceptability standards, technical design issues (many unique to Rowland and sharing of intellectual property rights), response support for both pre and after sales, and also a defined and proven line of communication, both verbal written and electronic enhanced by the use of digital photography.

Keeping all the design control within the UK and using all its experience Rowland Automation can now offer an alternative lower cost production route and with the PPAs in place will be able to reduce the communication difficulties that many companies have experienced in the past.

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