PR-18 · Process hubs
Foreign-owned, foreign-managed factory (Sofeast group) with English-speaking staff in every department
Dongguan · Chang'anSister PCB and PCBA factories in the same Fuyong industrial park
Shenzhen · Bao'anSwiss-listed Cicor Group's EMS plant in Dongguan
Dongguan · Dongguan (other town)Medical-device contract design and manufacturing since 2002
Hong KongGerman-founded (2012) design-to-production firm with Berlin and Shenzhen offices
Shenzhen · Bao'anAdvanced boards: up to 64 layers, HDI, rigid-flex, RF and ceramic
Shenzhen · Bao'anEnglish-speaking NPI partner for startups, builds from 5 units
Shenzhen · LonghuaNo-MOQ turnkey PCBA with a startup program
Shenzhen · Bao'anAI instant quote for PCB, PCBA, BOM and box build
Shenzhen · Bao'anGet 3 quotes
Describe the part once. We send it to up to 3 shops that fit, and they quote you directly.
15 guides
Everything we've written about Contract manufacturing / box build, starting with the basics.
01Basics · 12 minThe three test builds between a working prototype and mass production, explained for first-time founders. What each build is for, roughly how many units you make, and what usually goes wrong.
02Basics · 10 minThe custom packaging process explained for hardware founders doing their first retail box. Box structures, printing, finishes, inserts, samples, MOQs and lead times, plus the Chinese words factories use.
03Design · 9 minHow to design a product that's quick to put together and easy to test on a production line. The core design-for-assembly rules, what design for test means for circuit boards and finished products, and how Shenzhen factories use test fixtures.
04Design · 9 minWhat design freeze means, why late changes are so expensive in hardware, and how engineering change requests, orders and notices (ECR, ECO, ECN) keep you and your factory on the same version.
05Cost · 10 minThe cost buckets of developing and manufacturing a hardware product, explained for first-timers. Design, prototypes, tooling, certification and the first production order, with typical ranges where they're widely published, plus the costs people forget.
06Basics · 9 minA realistic timeline for bringing a hardware product to market, stage by stage, for first-time founders. Where the time actually goes, what slows projects down in Shenzhen, and how to save weeks.
07Working in China · 10 minA step-by-step, neutral guide for first-time hardware teams. How to find suppliers, tell factories from trading companies, check what you can, compare quotes, and start small.
08Choosing · 8 minWhat a request for quotation (RFQ) is, what to put in it, and how to write one that gets clear, comparable quotes from Shenzhen suppliers. With a checklist you can copy.
09Working in China · 9 minWhat Incoterms are, what EXW, FCA, FOB, CIF, DAP and DDP mean in plain words, who pays for what and who carries the risk, and which terms first-time importers from Shenzhen commonly use.
10Working in China · 8 minWhat an NNN agreement is, how it differs from a standard NDA, why it's commonly recommended when working with Chinese manufacturers, and what it can and can't do. Plain-English background, not legal advice.
11Basics · 11 minThe stages of making a physical product, from first sketch to boxes on a ship, explained for first-timers. What happens at each stage, why it matters, what you get out of it, and who in Shenzhen helps.
12Basics · 10 minWhy a product that works as 10 prototypes can fail at 1,000 units, what changes in parts, people, testing, documents and cash as you scale, and the steps between a working prototype and your first production run in Shenzhen.
13Working in China · 10 minWhat pre-shipment inspection is, when to inspect, how AQL sampling works in plain words, what an inspector checks, and how to prepare so the report is actually useful. For first-time importers.
14Working in China · 9 minExpress courier, air freight or sea freight? A plain-English guide to shipping parts and products out of Shenzhen: how each option works, rough transit times, how weight is charged, batteries, and customs.
15Design · 9 minWhat a BOM is, why factories in China build and quote from it, the columns a good BOM needs, how to structure one for a hardware product, and the mistakes that cause wrong parts and delays.