Looking for a new thermal management partner? Before sending out your next RFP, take a look at these questions to ask your potential vendors!
1. Is sustainability a priority/goal for your company?
If you’re like most companies these days, sustainability is a key objective for 2020 and beyond. So, you’re probably looking for sustainable solutions. Be sure to ask these questions to a potential partner!
2. Is your team R&D in-house?
When their R&D team is in-house, they have a lot more control over the quality, responsiveness, and testing of their product. If they have to outsource to someone else, they’re going to be heavily reliant on outside sources with limited visibility to quality and timeline. Being in-house means they can be more versatile because they’re not depending on anyone else.
3. Do you have the ability to provide both management and monitoring solutions?
As we mentioned, you’re going to see the best results when both your thermal management and temperature monitoring are happening by the same team of experts. Having two different suppliers will make you more prone to errors and a higher chance that you will go over budget
4. How do you approach traceability and connectivity?
Connectivity is critical today in allowing users to be proactive rather than reactive. Tracking in real-time gives you immeasurable insights and value that you would otherwise not have. It also is a key area to increase the effectiveness of your supply chain.
5. Do you follow industry standards? Can you prove it/document it?
What industry standards do you follow and do your partners abide by the same ones? It is not only important that you are on the same page with these, but also that they are documented. If documentation does not exist or is not readily available when needed, then all the time and effort put into the standards are wasted.
6. Are your electronic devices certified with FCC, CE, etc?
This is critical for electronics in the global economy. Verifying that a product has both the FCC and CE marks on it, lets you know that the product has been tested and is in compliance with those standards and is a requirement for electronics sold in the United States and Europe.