Reshoring · Roanoke, Alabama

Moving your PCB assembly back to the US

Overseas assembly often wins on unit price. Whether it wins on what a board really costs you depends on everything else: freight, duties, inventory on the water, minimum orders, and what happens when something goes wrong. Here is how to compare honestly, and what moving a board to REC looks like.

ISO 9001:2015 100% electrical test Quote in one business day Built in the USA
Get a Transfer Quote How a Job Runs

Compare landed cost, not unit price

A quote from an overseas manufacturer covers the board. These are the costs it leaves out.

Duties and tariffs

Tariffs on electronics imported from China have changed several times since 2018 and can change again with little notice. Price your board at today’s rates, then ask what happens to your margin if they move.

Freight and brokerage

Ocean or air freight, customs brokerage and inland delivery all sit on top of the quoted unit price, and none of it shows up on the quote.

Inventory in transit

Boards spend weeks on the water. You pay for them before you can sell them, and you have to forecast and order further ahead.

Minimum order quantities

Overseas pricing is often built around large runs. Buying more than you need to hit a price ties up cash and leaves boards on the shelf when the next revision comes.

When something goes wrong

A bad batch means shipping boards back across an ocean or reworking them yourself. With a US builder, a problem is a phone call during your working day.

Engineering changes

Every revision has to cross the same distance. Changes move faster when the people building your board can talk to the people who designed it.

What changes when a board moves

Most boards move with the files you already have. These are the things worth checking first.

Parts from overseas catalogs

Boards built at a Chinese board house often use parts from that house’s own catalog; LCSC part numbers are common on boards built at JLCPCB. Some of those parts have no US distribution and need replacements chosen before the first US build. Send the BOM early and we’ll flag them in the quote review.

Panels and assembly files

Panel layout, fiducials and stencil details may have been set up for the old line. Our free DFM review checks your files against our process before anything is built.

Testing

If your current builder only inspects boards visually, moving is a chance to add real test. Every board we build gets 100% electrical testing, and we can build a test fixture for your board.

How a transfer to REC works

Assembly, inspection and test all happen in our own facility in Roanoke, Alabama.

  1. Send your production files

    Gerbers, BOM with manufacturer part numbers, pick-and-place file, assembly drawing and any test requirements. Want an NDA first? Tick the box on the quote form.

  2. BOM and DFM review

    We flag parts we can’t source here and anything in the files that needs changing for our line, and quote the quantities you ask for within one business day.

  3. Prove the transfer

    Pre-production qualification boards are built on our production line, checked by our engineers, and sent to you to compare with the boards you build today. Production moves after you approve them.

  4. Move production

    Then production runs on the same documented process, typically shipping in 3–6 weeks, with 100% electrical testing on every board.

Common questions

Is US assembly more expensive?

The unit price usually is. The landed cost, with freight, duties, inventory and minimum orders included, can come out much closer. Send your BOM and the quantities you buy and compare real numbers rather than unit prices.

Can you build from the files my overseas manufacturer uses?

Usually, yes. Gerbers, BOM, pick-and-place data and assembly drawings transfer directly. The DFM and BOM review catches anything that was set up for the old line or depends on parts we can’t buy here.

How long does a transfer take?

You get a quote within one business day of sending files. Prototype runs take 1–3 weeks depending on parts, and production runs typically ship in 3–6 weeks.

When does overseas assembly still make sense?

For a stable design built in the many thousands, where unit price is what matters most, an overseas manufacturer may still be the cheaper choice. US assembly makes the most sense for runs in the hundreds to low thousands, for products that still change, and where lead time, quality or control of your design matter more than the last cent of unit price.

Will you sign an NDA before I send files?

Yes. Tick “Send me your NDA before I share files” on the quote form and we’ll send one before you share anything.

Compare real numbers

Send the BOM and the quantities you buy today. We’ll flag anything that won’t transfer and quote within one business day.

Get a Transfer Quote Call (334) 802-1311