Why Choose RCAL?
Quality Electrical Design and Manufacturing
RCAL Products is an American Design Engineering & Electronics Manufacturing company nestled in the Boston Mountains of Northwest Arkansas; founded by engineers and operated primarily by engineers. At the core, RCAL is a solutions-driven Design and Manufacturing company that has been serving companies all across the globe since 1995 and is dedicated to providing superior design and production services for your printed circuit board assembly needs.
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Commitment to robust engineering services and quality manufacturing is what differentiates RCAL from other electronics manufacturing services (EMS). Where other EMS contract manufacturers are only able to build to print, RCAL has degreed engineers in electrical, computer and mechanical engineering who understand what it takes not only to design a product, but also how to efficiently and economically manufacture products.
Sourcing decisions are important and selecting a design and/or manufacturing partner is a critical undertaking. So, we’d like to share a few reasons why we believe that RCAL has been a trusted design and manufacturing solution for almost three decades and why you can feel comfortable partnering with us. It all revolves around quality…
BSEE, President & Co-Founder
Rudy Timmerman
"I truly believe this level of skilled oversight benefits our customers particularly in terms of repeatable quality. That was our focus when we started the company in 1995 and I believe it remains the driving force that enables us to serve our customers today. Our quality system is certified to ISO 9001, J-Standards and over the years we’ve consistently met and exceed our customers’ expectations which is why they keep coming back.”
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QUALITY FOCUSED
RCAL is primarily owned an operated by a core group of engineers that are invested in making sure that our customer-partners receive exceptional products and services.
QUALITY EQUIPPED
RCAL provides cost-effective electronics manufacturing with numerous state-of-the-art surface mount lines that handle a wide range of complexity. Our teams are flexible and trained for quick job changeover because they standardize on the same SMT manufacturer brand across all our surface mount equipment. We can accommodate both high-volume and low-volume opportunities via surface-mount pick and place machines, wave soldering, selective soldering combined with highly skilled through-hole technicians and assemblers.
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RCAL also utilizes automated conformal coating machines that dispense sealant from multiple heads for precise application without time-consuming masking. We also offer potting services as well as environmental stress testing
QUALITY STAFFED
With thorough onboarding and training systems, RCAL is able to quickly orient, equip, and engage our new employees in the highly technical and detail-oriented world of electronics. However, we also know that retaining talent is invaluable. That’s why RCAL offers competitive wages and industry-leading bonus structures that ‘payout’ each pay period. Combining our full compensation packages that include health, dental, vision and retirement options with a desire to provide a positive work environment it makes sense why RCAL team members stay with the company.
Lance Porter
BSEE, MSEE
Principal Software Engineer, Co-Founder
“You know we are really proud of the fact that we have one of the lowest employee turnover rates in our industry so you can count on the person who builds your project to be familiar with your products and requirements. We really see this as a competitive advantage that you may not see directly on a report, but indirectly via quality product shipped on time.”
QUALITY ENGINEERED
For new and existing products, RCAL leverages engineering and procurement talent to provide timely component substitutions that allow our partners to receive their shipments on time through acceptable component alternative solutions. This collaborative process makes it simple for our partners to have visibility and current market availability data for decision making. Furthermore, for existing production or legacy products, we’ve been able to offer unique custom automation or redesign recommendations to address customer cost, obsolescence or market competitiveness challenges, as well.
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The high level of engineering expertise RCAL provides sets us apart from our competitors. All boards are tested or
inspected prior to shipment and defects are tracked and analyzed for continuous improvement resulting in outstanding
quality and a low customer return rate. Customers looking for total manufacturing solutions rely on RCAL’s mechanical
assembly team from simple packaging to complex system integration. RCAL delivers assemblies built to specifications on
time.
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Len Baledge
BSEE
Technical Sales, Quality Systems, Co-Founder
“I think that our goal is to offer much more than just a circuit board service. When we started back in 1995 we believed really strongly that outstanding engineering support was going to be our key to success because it’s grounded in creative solutions. That is still true today as companies from all over the nation look to our engineering team for review of customer designs, complete product design to reduce cost and add features and also for test fixture development and overall technical support. Electrical, Computer and Mechanical Design is part of who we are.”
QUALITY DESIGNED
RCAL provides design services that focus on manufacturability and getting products to market. Across our engineering
team RCAL holds nine patents. They lead new product development initiatives as well as support and work to enhance
existing designs. With expertise in both hardware and software design RCAL offers complete PCB design and layout,
embedded firmware, FPGA-VHDL, GUI development, wireless communications, software development solutions, analog
circuitry and reverse engineering.
Chris Franke-McGarvey – “One of the great things about RCAL’s engineering design team is that we are inextricably
linked to manufacturing. The fact that we are in a manufacturing environment forces us to begin-with-the-end-in-mind
because in many cases our designs will eventually hit our manufacturing floor. Additionally, because we work closely with
both our quoting and procurement teams as well as utilizing services that monitor supply chain volatility, when we
design a product we are doing so with solid information for sustained component availability.”
Whether your product requirement comprises a PCBA only or a full-box build with added enclosures RCAL will partner
alongside you through the entire process. With an engineering lab and access to 3D printing, machining equipment, test
fixture manufacturing and quick-turn bare PCB producers, RCAL is a one-stop-shop for design, validation testing and
manufacturing.
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QUALITY CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION
The key responsibility of any leader or company is clarity. RCAL provides clarity and up-to-date information by leveraging
our internal tracking systems for vital manufacturing requirements. Those include everything from automated
component delivery monitoring, sales orders, shipping schedules, RMAs, ECOs, virtual warehousing, job-kitting, etc. Each
of these items provide important visibility that is tracked in our proprietary MRP system that was created and is
continually developed by our engineering team to meet your needs.
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“We strive to provide consistent, detail-oriented customer service. From Strategic Account Managers that work hand in hand with customers to our quoting and purchasing team, our focus is clear, provide honest and efficient customer communication. That focus is supported by folks with decades of experience in the electronic manufacturing industry that understand supply chain issues, component procurement challenges and how to leverage non-traditional supply avenues in order to secure customer parts. Not to mention electrical engineers on staff that can offer component alternatives, that team really delivers.”
Brandon Bannon
PHD
Chief Commercial Officer
QUALITY SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT​
Another way in which RCAL provides superior customer service is through the RCAL Safety Stock Program (SSP) which
was created in response to the current state of the semiconductor and electronics component market. Whereas
previously partners could place purchase orders and trust that the component suppliers would deliver to their
electronics contract manufacturer in a timely fashion, the current market is such that confirmed product delivery dates
are being pushed out indiscriminately. The result is severe supply chain disruptions that lead to delays, loss of market
share and loss of revenue. The SSP seeks to provide an option where partners can bring in all of their components for a
particular purchase order immediately so that they are not guessing or hoping that confirmed component deliveries will
be met.
Combined with a commitment to design for manufacturability, RCAL is equipped with both the expertise and resources
to combat supply chain disruptions, engineer quality and deliver success. Through our over 100 years of design
experience we understand and monitor component availability which informs decision making and design processes so
that what we design for you is manufacturable as soon as possible.
Keith Wilbern
BSEE,MSEE
Principle Hardware Engineer, Co-Founder
“To help alleviate partner cash flow concerns, the SSP has built in accountability and tracking measures where partners are not billed until the part actually arrives at RCAL’s facility. Furthermore, when invoices are delivered to our partners they are accompanied by an inventory report of their digital warehouse. RCAL’s proprietary MRP system, developed over 20 years ago and constantly updated in response to market shifts and customer needs, tracks all incoming customer allocated material. Simply stated, when partners utilize the SSP program the components that correlate with their build are physically tagged as customer allocated inventory that is also barcode protected.”