Turnkey assembly
The assembler purchases material and coordinates fabrication and assembly. This reduces handoffs but requires clear rules for alternates, traceability, price validity and excess stock.
Consigned assembly
The customer supplies components and often the bare boards. This offers purchasing control but makes material completeness, labeling and shortage ownership critical.
Hybrid sourcing
Customers can consign programmed, scarce or controlled items while the assembler sources standard parts. The BOM must clearly identify ownership by line item.
Compare total responsibility
Ask who owns purchasing errors, damaged consigned material, minimum-buy excess, counterfeit-risk decisions, substitutions and schedule impact.
Choose by risk
Use the model that creates the clearest accountability for your critical parts and the lowest total coordination and inventory risk.
Turnkey vs consigned vs hybrid: responsibility matrix
| Responsibility | Turnkey | Consigned | Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Component purchase | Assembler buys the agreed BOM | Customer buys and supplies parts | Assigned separately for each BOM line |
| Technical approval | Customer defines acceptable parts and alternates | Customer defines acceptable parts and alternates | One approval rule across both purchase paths |
| Material completeness | Assembler plans the purchased kit | Customer ships a complete, identifiable kit | Both parties reconcile the combined kit |
| Shortages | Assembler proposes options for approval | Customer replenishes or approves a purchase | Named owner by line item |
| Inventory exposure | Define minimum-buy excess in the quote | Customer carries purchase and excess stock | Define ownership for each source |
| Traceability | Agree purchase and lot records | Supply source records with the kit | Keep records across both supply paths |
Which sourcing model fits your situation?
Turnkey can reduce purchasing handoffs when your team lacks procurement capacity. Consignment can fit controlled, programmed or strategic parts already in your inventory. Hybrid sourcing can combine those needs, provided every BOM line has an owner. None of these models removes the need for alternate approval or source verification.
Before a consigned kit is shipped
- Mark exact MPN, quantity and lot identification where required.
- Agree attrition, extra parts, shortages and returns.
- Confirm packaging and handling requirements for sensitive components.
- Identify programmed parts and their firmware/configuration.
- Reconcile kit completeness before committing the production date.
Consigned PCB assembly: agree these responsibilities before release
Consigned assembly, also called consignment PCB assembly, means the customer supplies agreed components and sometimes the bare boards. The following is a buyer planning checklist, not a fixed VeriPCB loss allowance, warranty or contractual policy. Responsibilities, charges and acceptance criteria must be confirmed in the project quotation or quality agreement.
| Item | Customer input | Agree with the assembler | Record to retain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit receipt | BOM revision, exact MPNs, supplied quantities and lot/source records | Receipt count method, discrepancy notification and kit-release approval | Receipt reconciliation and approved exceptions |
| Attrition and spare parts | Package type, available quantity and critical or programmed parts | Line-by-line extra quantities; permitted process loss; shortage owner and cost | Approved allowance, issued/used balance and discrepancy record |
| Incorrect or suspect parts | Approved source, manufacturer and ordering code | Quarantine, verification, replacement and authorization before use | Affected lot, evidence and written disposition |
| Handling and storage | Moisture/reflow limits, ESD, packaging and shelf-life information | Required handling, storage and any drying/baking review; no blanket treatment | Receipt condition, handling instructions and exception approval |
| Missing parts / substitutions | Replenishment contact and engineering approval owner | Hold, split build or approved purchase; cost and schedule change before work resumes | Shortage list and written alternate approval |
| Damage / failures | Product requirements and relevant material history | Separate incoming defects, process damage and design/test failures; investigation and cost allocation | Nonconformance report, agreed rework and retest result |
| Unused material / returns | Ownership and preferred return or future-use plan | Remaining quantities, packaging, storage period, freight and disposal only with approval | Inventory balance and return/storage authorization |
| Test and shipment release | Firmware revision, fixture, procedure and numerical pass limits | Workmanship checks versus functional coverage; failure handling and release authority | Approved test scope, results and shipment release |
From customer-supplied kit to shipment: six release gates
| Gate | Action | Do not advance until |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Define scope | Identify customer-supplied and assembler-purchased BOM lines | One approved PCB/BOM revision and a named owner for every line |
| 2. Approve kit plan | Agree quantities, packaging, attrition and receiving checks | Sensitive parts, shortages and commercial responsibility are documented |
| 3. Reconcile receipt | Compare received kit with the approved material list | Discrepancies have a recorded disposition; schedule dependencies are reconfirmed |
| 4. Release first article | Review orientation, programmed configuration and agreed checks | First-article findings and any changes are approved |
| 5. Build and verify | Assemble against the released package; perform agreed inspection and tests | Failures, rework and retest are closed or explicitly accepted |
| 6. Close material balance | Reconcile boards, consumed parts and unused material | Shipment documents and return/storage decisions are authorized |
Questions buyers ask about consigned assembly
How many extra components should I supply?
There is no universal percentage for every build. Agree spare quantities by BOM line, package, setup needs and risk, especially for expensive, programmed or hard-to-replace parts. Record the allowance before shipping the kit.
Who pays if customer-supplied parts are lost or damaged?
Confirm this in the project agreement. Separate agreed process attrition, incoming defects, handling or assembly damage, and design-related failures. Record evidence and approve the disposition; do not assume all losses belong to one party.
What happens if the consigned kit is incomplete?
Reconcile the shortage list before release. Agree whether to hold, replenish, buy the missing lines or split the build. Any replacement, extra charge or schedule change needs the designated approval.
Will unused components be returned?
Agree the remaining-material balance, return packaging, freight and timing before ordering. If stock is retained for a future build, define ownership and storage conditions. Do not assume indefinite free storage or disposal permission.
Can I consign some parts and use turnkey sourcing for the rest?
Yes, this is a hybrid sourcing model. Identify the purchase owner, exact MPN, approved alternates and traceability requirement for each BOM line, then reconcile the combined kit.
Does consigned assembly include functional testing?
Not automatically. Agree inspection and functional testing separately, including firmware, fixture responsibility, procedure, limits and records. Supplying components does not define test coverage.
Download the consigned-kit handoff checklist (.txt). Include it with your PCB assembly RFQ and mark open decisions rather than guessing.
Customer-supplied kit checklist before dispatch
Keep the existing responsibility agreement, then reconcile the shipment itself. A kit inventory should identify actual quantities and exceptions; a carton count alone does not show that the batch is ready.
| Kit item | Check before dispatch | Receiving decision |
|---|---|---|
| BOM and inventory | Exact MPN, required quantity, shipped quantity and clear package labels | Reconcile shortages or identity conflicts against one released revision |
| Packaging and handling | Carrier format, condition and available storage/handling history | Review usability and any handling exception before release |
| Bare boards and special items | Quantity, revision, programmed status and ownership | Keep boards, parts and firmware definitions consistent |
| Attrition and unused parts | Agreed allowance and return or retained-stock instructions | Record actual exceptions and ownership, not an assumed default |
Kit dispatch, receipt and production release are separate milestones. See the consigned turnaround and readiness gates for schedule dependencies. If replacement parts are proposed, use the alternate approval record rather than silently changing the kit.
Technical references
Use the applicable standard revision and the component manufacturer's documentation when defining your requirements.
Start with your actual project
Consigned kit readiness review
Use the enquiry form to describe the decision you need help with. We select the relevant project context; you remain in control of the details.
- Released BOM and kit inventory
- Part packaging, date codes and handling history
- Shortages, attrition and unused-stock instructions
Kit receipt is not production release. Material condition, missing items, test scope and responsibility must be reviewed.
Request this reviewUse this guide in your next build review
Share the current revision, pilot result, expected batch size and unresolved risks. We will identify the information needed before quotation or production release.
Prepare an RFQ