Preferred vs. Non-Preferred Component Suppliers

Explaining the Difference Between MacroFab’s Component Suppliers

On the Bill of Materials tab, for rows where source is set to "Turnkey", the MacroFab Platform searches a number of suppliers from which to procure that row's components.

These component suppliers in the MacroFab platform are either classified as “Preferred” or “Non-Preferred”.

As such, each component is classified as "Preferred" if available from a "Preferred" supplier or "Non-Preferred" if only available from a "Non-Preferred" supplier.

Preferred Suppliers

“Preferred” suppliers are those that MacroFab can leverage automation to source from, and without having to incur additional expenses, such as shipping costs or customs charges.

Sourcing components from “Preferred” suppliers results in no additional expenses and the lowest possible quote for PCBA.

BoM rows with their "To Be Built With" component that will be sourced from "Preferred" suppliers can be identified by a check icon under the "Preferred" column:

Components from "Preferred" suppliers will also have a check icon under the "Preferred" column within the Parts Allowed table:

When searching for a part, components from "Preferred" suppliers can be identified by a check icon under the "Preferred" column within the search results:

Non-Preferred Suppliers

“Non-Preferred” component suppliers are those that MacroFab is unable to automate sourcing from.  Additionally, several of these “Non-Preferred” suppliers have added expenses associated with them (e.g. shipping fees, customs fees, taxes, etc.). 

Due to these challenges, components sourced from “Non-Preferred” suppliers may result in additional order fees subject to the individual supplier.

BoM rows with their "To Be Built With" component that will be sourced from "Non-Preferred" suppliers can be identified by the absence of a check icon under the "Preferred" column:

Components from "Non-Preferred" suppliers will also not have a check icon under the "Preferred" column within the Parts Allowed table:

When searching for a part, components from "Non-Preferred" suppliers can be identified by the absence of a check icon under the "Preferred" column within the search results:

If applicable, any additional fees from "Non-Preferred" suppliers will be displayed on the Quote & Order page under the "Per-Order Fees" section:

How it Works

To offer our valued customers the absolute best price available, the MacroFab platform will only source components from “Non-Preferred” suppliers upon “Preferred” suppliers having insufficient stock of the desired part. Furthermore, the platform will always pick the “Non-Preferred” supplier with the lowest added order costs that have sufficient stock to fulfill demand.

When components from both "Preferred" and "Non-Preferred" suppliers are present on the same alternative list within a BoM row, the list will only allow for a "Fixed" priority:

Please note that the quality of components sourced from “Preferred” suppliers and the quality of components sourced from “Non-Preferred” suppliers is indistinguishable. Components from both are rigorously evaluated to ensure conformity with MacroFab’s industry-leading standards and the MacroFab guarantee.