IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1547121
74 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2026 'Who Are Our Customers?' Yet, the most significant change at FSQuality is not the addition of another factory building or a few more pieces of equipment. Rather, it is the com- pany's answer to a fundamental question: "Who, exactly, are our customers?" That answer is now reshaping the Thailand factory's product strategy and equipment planning, while also prompting the company to rethink the role and value of overseas manufacturing. In 2023, FSQuality moved quickly to launch its Thailand project after securing a site. Liu recalled that, with time of the essence, the company opted for a single-story factory design and completed construction in about six months, followed by another three to four months for interior fit-out and equipment installation. At the outset of the project, the company envi- sioned leveraging Rayong Province's automo- tive industry cluster and the broader Southeast Asian market, starting with automotive electronics and industrial control products before gradually expanding its reach into global markets. However, actual operations have shown that international trade policies and customers' supply chain strate- gies have evolved, and European and Japanese customers have not shifted their orders to Thailand on the scale initially anticipated. Meanwhile, PCB manufacturing in China offers clear advantages in terms of cost, lead times, and the completeness of its supporting supply chain ecosystem. For customers without specific regional manufacturing requirements, continuing to source from China is often the more economical option. "When we first arrived, we were full of ambition," Liu said. "The future was uncertain, but it was also full of promise." Since then, FSQuality has gone through a journey from optimism to uncertainty, and ultimately to a strategic reset. "It was like riding a roller coaster." Liu acknowledged that some industry peers had a smoother path with their Thailand projects, partic- ularly those that had secured communications- sector customers in advance or whose customers had explicitly designated overseas manufacturing " This is more than a simple geographic shift in where orders are produced; it represents a fundamental redefinition of the factory's role and value proposition." A look inside the FSQuality Thailand plant. T H A I L A N D FACTO RY S E R I ES • FS Q UA L I T Y