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      How do I Consign Materials and How do I Select my Inventory

      With the MacroFab Platform users can source their own components and use either Consignment or Inventory

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      While selecting parts for your design, you may run into a situation where you can’t find the part you need in the marketplace. The part may be proprietary or unavailable from our part distributors, or perhaps you already have a large inventory of exotic and expensive parts that you would like to use for your next manufacturing run.

      The consignment and inventory part features of the MacroFab Platform give you more flexibility in supplying the parts you want to use for your PCBs. Consigning parts is a great solution for when you want to proceed with placing an order, without having to wait to get the parts moved into your inventory. You can also send us parts in advance, and then build out of your inventory when you’re ready to place an order.

      Sourcing in the MacroFab Platform

      Part sourcing definition begins on the Quote & Order page. Here you'll be asked to choose one of three options for each part in your design. The three options to choose from are MacroFab, Me, and DNP.

      Choose MacroFab if you would like to have that part sourced turnkey by MacroFab.

      Choose Me if you would like to send (consign) the part to MacroFab or pull it from your MacroFab inventory.

      Choose DNP if you would like to exclude this part from your order (this is tied to the DNP field on the Bill of Materials page).

      Inventory and Consignment in the MacroFab Platform

      If you chose Me as a source for any of the parts within your order, after you've paid you will be redirected to the Parts to Supply page. This is the page where you may allocate parts to be consigned and parts to be pulled from your MacroFab inventory. 

      Sending Consignment Parts

      After finalizing your part sourcing, the order overview page will have detailed instructions on how to ship the parts highlighted in yellow. Make sure to send the required amount of parts, the package is marked correctly, and the parts are received before the due date. Ensure your components are properly protected from potential shipping damage. ESD protection is very important!newdockconsign

      When we receive your consignment parts, we will perform an audit to check the quantities, tag them, and store them in our secure inventory facility until your PCBs are ready for manufacturing. Once the assembly of your PCBs is complete, any parts that were not used during the manufacturing process will be returned to you along with your completed PCBs.

       

      MacroFab reserves the right to reject parts that do not meet the following packaging criteria:

      This procedure is necessary to ensure the integrity of incoming materials prior to their use in the manufacturing process and to promptly address any detected quality issues with the vendors. The specific requirements are as follows:

      1. Original Manufacturer Packaging: Components must be received in their original manufacturer packaging, such as an ESD bag, to ensure proper protection during transit and storage.

      2. No Damaged Parts: Components must not contain any damaged parts, leads, pins, connectors, or visible defects that may affect their functionality or reliability.

      3. No Loose Parts: Loose parts tapped to reels or bags will not be accepted and will not count towards the required quantities. The components should be properly packaged and secured within their original manufacturer packaging.

      4. Expiration Date Compliance: All materials must be within their expiration dates throughout the time of manufacturing.

      5. Moisture Protection: Sufficient desiccant should be utilized within the packaging to prevent moisture damage and ensure the components' integrity. For components classified as MSL (Moisture Sensitivity Level) level 2 or above, each package must include a humidity indicator card to monitor moisture exposure.

      6. Packaging Integrity: Components should be packaged with sufficient packing materials, such as bubble wrap, to safeguard against physical damage during transit. Consideration should be given to factors like size and weight to prevent crushing or deformation.

      7. Rejection and Non-conformance Report: Failure to comply with the requirements may result in the rejection of materials upon receipt. In such cases, a non-conformance and corrective action report (NCAR) will be submitted to the vendor, detailing the non-conformance and actions taken to prevent its recurrence.

        For consignment parts received from the customer that are found to be non-conforming, the customer will be notified. They will have the option to provide new parts that meet the requirements or choose to proceed with the non-conforming parts. 

      Need Help with Consignment and Inventory?

      Our support team is always here to answer questions about how to consign of parts for your order or how our inventory system works.