How do I find a PCB assembly business for sale?

Our guide for sellers of electronics assembly companies explains how an owner prepares. This page is the buyer’s side of that search. PCB assembly businesses are not always listed under that name, and the best ones may never be advertised, so you need both better search terms and a few people who hear things.

The words listings use

Search for EMS, electronics manufacturing services, contract manufacturer, SMT assembly, through-hole assembly and box build. Some owners describe the business by its customers instead, such as medical, industrial or telecom electronics. Try each phrase on listing sites, and set alerts so you see new postings quickly.

People who hear first

Component distributors, stencil and equipment vendors, repair technicians and industry associations talk to owners all year. They often know who is tired, who has no successor and who is quietly open to an offer. A short, courteous note explaining what you are looking for gives them something to pass along.

What a first read should tell you

• The lines: how many, how old, and what kinds of work they handle.
• The customers: how many, which industries, and how long they have stayed.
• The staff: how many operators, engineers and quality people, and who leads them.
• The reason for sale, stated plainly.

Before you sign an NDA

Decide what you need to know to stay interested, and ask the broker or owner for that summary first. If the listing is vague on all three points, ask about all three.