Hitech Circuits has manufactured in Shenzhen since 1997 (see about Hitech Circuits), and the eight industries below are served from the same plant rather than from separate lines. What changes between them is not the factory — it is the question a buyer asks first, and therefore what the first conversation is about.
What changes between industries
An automotive programme asks how the part stays identical between the first article and the series order. A medical programme asks what the lot record will contain when an auditor requests it five years later. A lighting programme asks where the junction heat goes. A telecom programme asks whether the impedance will hold on the third batch. None of those are answered by a layer count, which is why the process limits sit on one page — PCB manufacturing capabilities — and the industry pages deal with the question itself.
- Automotive — change control and traceability between prototype and series, under IATF 16949:2016.
- Telecommunications — an impedance-controlled stack-up that is reproduced batch after batch.
- Consumer electronics — miniaturisation and a ramp where a cost-down must remain a documented change.
- Industrial control — a ten-year service life and boards that can be ordered again years later.
- Renewable energy — high voltage and high current in one enclosure, supported across a fielded fleet.
- LED lighting — heat leaves through the board, so the substrate decides the product.
- Medical equipment — documentation and written change confirmation, under ISO 13485:2016.
- Security systems — radio, imaging and power in a sealed housing with nobody to service it.
One plant from bare board to box
Fabrication and assembly share a site, so impedance-controlled fabrication, component sourcing, assembly, cable and harness work and box build happen without a handover where responsibility changes hands. A single lot record covers the whole build, and a design change does not have to be re-explained to a second supplier.
Starting a programme
A programme usually begins with a prototype lot of one to fifty pieces on the production lines, with the production inspection. MOQ is 1 pc, so a new design can be proven before a volume commitment; once the first article is approved, the same stack-up, finish and placement programme carry into the series order, and the volume price is quoted from the data package rather than from a list.
The quality system behind these pages
Every industry is served by one quality system, with the certificate the end market calls for layered on top: ISO 9001:2015 as the base, IATF 16949:2016 for automotive, ISO 13485:2016 for medical devices, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 for environment and safety, UL recognition under file E354070, RoHS compliance, and fabrication to IPC-6012B and IPC-A-600H. The scans are published on the certifications page, and the inspection sequence is on quality assurance.
Where to start
Read the page for the industry the product is sold into, then send a Gerber set or a BOM — or both — with the quantity and target date. DFM, DFA and DFT reviews happen before quoting, so a stack-up or panelisation problem surfaces while it is still cheap to fix, and a quote can be requested on the contact page if the industry is not listed.