The process and the method are decided. Now it’s time to select the vendor for the project and choose the specific equipment and tools to execute the assembly operations.
According to the 2000 ASSEMBLY State of the Profession survey (July 2000, p. 12), assemblers are spending more time selecting technology and evaluating suppliers than in the past. In fact, between 1999 and 2000, there was an 8.3 percent increase in the amount of time assembly professionals devoted to supplier evaluation. And, there was a 5.7 percent increase in the amount of time assemblers spent selecting new technology.