Narrow Results

The aim of this paper is to make a contribution to the mapping of the vendor's process in outsourcing and to explore how that process has been built over the time. In addition, the paper aims at coming to grips with the fundamental issue of how an electronic manufacturing service (EMS) provider can develop its competences and capabilities to compete effectively and efficiently in this increasingly more competitive industry. The paper has been written in a teaching case style where the case of Escatec, a tier-two EMS has been presented. Escatec, have been adding various skills, knowledge and technologies into a set of competences that have been integrated into a well-structured process that reflects customers' requirements. Findings from the case suggest that the vendor's process is cyclic in its nature, with equally strong emphasis on getting the new and retaining the existing customers. Based on the analysis of Escatec's process and competences we propose that the key success factors for a successful one-stop-shop type of EMS are to 1) Establish rich portfolio of competences; 2) Integrate the competences into a process; 3) Ensure that process depicts the nature of the industry; 4) Develop a modular process that will enable capturing of customers anywhere along the value chain; 5) Continuously improve competences that mostly contribute to the organization's performance.