10 Things to Expect from Your Parker Chomerics Distributor

Key Points

• Electromagnetic interference (EMI) gasketing design is critical in industries where a failed gasket can lead to serious consequences, such as the aerospace, defense, and medical devices industries.
• Your chosen Parker Chomerics Distributor should be ready, willing, and able to meet the challenges of your design by understanding these materials, their capabilities, and the best use cases.
• Choose a partner such as Modus Advanced for their expertise in vertically integrated manufacturing processes using Parker Chomerics EMI shielding materials.

So you’ve discovered the greatness of Parker Chomerics materials (perhaps through our Parker Chomerics EMI Shielding Material Guide) and you’re now looking for a partner that can help you bring your products to life leveraging these materials. 

We’re proud to partner with a leader in the thermal interface and electrically conductive materials. The company serves a broad range of industries and is at the leading edge of innovation across the board. They create high-quality materials for a variety of applications across the aerospace, defense, telecommunications, and electronics spaces. 

We understand that choosing the right manufacturing partner can be no small task, so we’ve outlined 10 things to expect from Parker Chomerics Distributors to aid you along the way. 

Read on!

Modus Advanced is proud to routinely employ Parker Chomerics materials in a variety of applications for our customers. Want to learn more about the variety of materials Parker Chomerics has to offer? Read our guide:

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Parker Chomerics EMI Shielding Material Guide: Get it here.

Vertical Integration

If you’ve known Modus for any length of time, you know that we’re big fans of vertical integration. But if you’re new here, or need a refresher, let’s go over what exactly that means.

Vertical integration, as we see it, means that we offer more bang for your buck. The more steps in the manufacturing process that a single partner can cover end-to-end will provide huge benefits to you. 

Sending your part to multiple different vendors can be a hassle and introduce unnecessary risk. As an Authorized Parker Chomerics Distributor, we are eager to show you how we can meet your needs as a one-stop shop. 

Ultimately, the benefits that come from selecting a vertically integrated Parker Chomerics distributor include:

• Faster lead times: finding a partner who has enough capabilities to provide multiple concurrent manufacturing processes on a single part means you don’t have to worry about shipping back and forth between sub-tier vendors in between steps in the process.
• Lower total cost: reduce the cost of shipping by leveraging a single manufacturing partner end-to-end.
• Higher quality: managing several vendors and their different quality standards can mean you have to spend time managing each vendor to ensure your quality standards are met. A partner who can do more under one roof and meet your quality standards is a match made in heaven.
• Lower risk: a high number of touches can translate into higher risk levels. Continuity can dramatically reduce your risk of miscommunications between vendors and mismatches between requirements. 

Multiple Supported Manufacturing Processes

As we previously mentioned, finding a partner who is experienced in offering multiple manufacturing methods can do far more for you than using many partners to each do one thing. Streamlining the number of vendors you need on your hot sheet provides a number of benefits, namely:

• Simply relationship management: tracking fewer vendors reduces the amount of time spent managing them; it will keep your procurement and purchasing process less complex as well.
• Lower costs: having multiple manufacturing processes within a single vendor means they have a robust understanding of the production process from end-to-end which means they have the flexibility to suggest manufacturing processes that will help reduce costs.

A partner who looks out for you by leveraging their industry know-how is a partner worth keeping. 

Fast Quoting and Design for Manufacturing (DfM) Reviews

Defined Goals for On-Time Delivery and Quality

Quality is king. When choosing a manufacturing partner, you need to know how to evaluate that quality ahead of placing your first order. A partner that truly values and understands the importance of quality will be eager to share the details that make them a good partner. 

• Registry certifications: ISO 9001 is non-negotiable, and is a great place to start.
• Quality goals: do they have organizational goals for quality? At Modus, our goal is always 99.5% quality rating.
• Published quality metrics: if they can’t prove it in print, you may want to look elsewhere. At Modus, we check our quality metrics every day in our operational meetings and they are published for our entire manufacturing staff to see and adhere to. When our customers ask, we are glad to share these metrics with them as well.
• Quality feedback system: a constant feedback loop on reporting metrics is important for improving processes. Your Parker Chomerics distribution partner should meet the bar and always push to exceed it. Quality is in our blood here at Modus – it’s in our DNA.

Specialized Materials and Manufacturing Expertise

Parker Chomerics is a global leader in the development and application of electrically conductive and thermal interface materials. While we carry and deploy various other brands of materials, we are an Approved Distributor with Parker Chomerics for a reason.

These products are the highest quality that deliver results time and time again for our customers. We leverage these specialized materials in as many instances as deemed appropriate because our expert team of engineers trusts that they can get the job done.

Look for a partner that has honed their skills. As manufacturing has advanced, it has created more opportunities for specialization. Many manufacturers have developed and honed specialized talents that are difficult to find elsewhere.

Evaluate your partner based on their specialized capabilities, and ensure they have enough of them to support your needs. In many cases, more intricate manufacturing processes, like form-in-place gasket dispensing for instance, are as much of an art as they are a science.

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Learn everything you need to know about EMI Gasket Design.

Transparency and Dependability

Can you depend on your manufacturing partner to get the job done right the first time, and right on time? You need a company that you can trust to put your needs first and to meet (and exceed) your expectations. The right partner will look for ways to cut back on costs and lead times, and find better ways to serve your needs.

Support for Prototype or Production Volumes

A partner that has capacity for prototype and production volumes is one made of gold. You’ll want one that can stick with you from start to finish. Not only does this continuity improve quality, it also greatly reduces risk by having the entire process under one roof as you ramp up to production.

Up-to-Date Systems and Processes

There is no better time to get with the times than now… but not on your time. You need a partner that is up to speed with the latest technology and is transparent about their systems. Manufacturing partners that are stuck in the stone age need not apply. Expect your manufacturing partners to have up-to-date Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES),  Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, and Quality Management Systems (QMS). The better job your partner has done with integrating these systems, the better and faster they will be able to deliver for you.

Registry Certifications

As we’ve mentioned before, at the bare minimum, your manufacturing partner should have an ISO 9001 certification. ISO 9001 is an international standard that details the requirements for a quality management system (QMS). The certification demonstrates a partner’s ability to consistently provide products that meet stringent customer and regulatory quality requirements.

If you’re in the defense or military-related fields, your partner will need an International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) certificate. The purpose of the certification is to ensure the manufacturer will exercise the correct control over the export of defense and military-related technologies.

Additionally, for aviation, space and defense applications, your partner will need an AS9100 certificate certifying that they adhere to the international Quality Management System standard created by the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG).

The first step is understanding what certifications are needed in your industry and then finding a manufacturing partner that holds them. Acquiring these certificates is no small feat, and manufacturers must jump through many hoops to be able to claim the certification. This is one way that they can prove to you they’re a valuable partner.

High Security Standards

We’ve spoken about security standards quite a bit here at Modus, it’s something that we are particularly cognizant of. As a trusted Parker Chomerics Distributor to our partners in the aerospace and defense industries, we understand how important it is to remain vigilant in the face of increasingly complex cybersecurity standards. Your partner needs to be able to verify that your designs are safe from falling into the wrong hands.

Look for a partner that adheres to NIST standards at the bare minimum, but finding a partner that is actively setting themselves up to meet CMMC standards is even better.

Trust & Competency: No Exceptions

Here’s the thing – you need, and deserve, a partner you can trust that has access to the materials you need and has the technical competencies for a successful project. Your Parker Chomerics Distributor has big shoes to fill! Don’t settle for someone who almost fits the bill. The people depending on your products deserve it – whether it be a patient awaiting a medical device, or a warrior downrange in foreign lands – and almost doesn’t cut it there.

Work with the partner that checks the boxes and is ready to run the long game with you. Work with Modus Advanced. Contact us today.