Abstract
Shifting landscapes suggest RF/Microwave companies keep manufacturing closer to home.
Outsourcing of manufacturing occurs across a broad spectrum of industries, and the philosophy of employing it is
changing rapidly as companies are increasingly positioning themselves as brands as opposed to manufacturers.
The outsourcing decision for RF/Microwave (RF/MW) companies, however, has a unique set of circumstances
when compared to conventional digital electronics. The straightforwardness of digital electronics is conducive to
high levels of automation and the employment of relatively unskilled workers. Quality and compliance in the digital
world can also be determined through the use of functional test equipment, working on the basis of logic one
and zero levels whose repeatability, accuracy and calibration are relatively clear-cut. Moving these types of
manufacturing and test procedures overseas thus becomes a relatively simple decision.
Introduction
RF/MW manufacturing and testing, on the other hand, often relies upon much more precisely
defined, and sometimes difficult to define procedures. In fact, RF/MW manufacturing is to
a large degree an artisan-based process that is learned by being immersed in the business
and is often passed along through ties of family or friendship. RF/MW testing also requires
more complex tools such as spectrum analyzers and frequency counters whose accuracy,
repeatability and calibration have large variables. As a result, test specifications and methods
are more critical and once again rely more heavily on the knowledge and experience of operators and engineers.