Supporting Military Markets

Every day, many thousands devote themselves to protecting freedoms, maintaining peace, providing relief and supporting policy around the globe. They often depend on sophisticated electronic systems to support their missions. PCBs are the foundation for these systems and performance is critical! North American PCB manufacturing supports these individuals and their missions by providing mission-critical circuit boards that meet the highest standards of excellence. Manufacturing for the U. S. Department of Defense (DoD) can be a source of opportunity for American manufacturers who are qualified to meet performance requirements and can demonstrate compliance to quality management. Seizing this opportunity requires extensive research, multiple registrations and qualifications and a plan.

Research and Registrations

Researching market opportunities is a journey to enlightenment without shortcuts. A good place to begin is the Internet. The official United States DoD Web site provides a broad overview of activities and applications that can point the user to areas of interest. Resources include the Central Contractor Registry. Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is the primary registrant database for the U.S. Federal Government. CCR collects, validates, stores and disseminates data in support of agency acquisition missions. Prospective vendors must be registered in the CCR prior to the award of a contract; basic agreement, basic ordering agreement or blanket purchase agreement.

The Federal Business Opportunities Web site offers a search function to find opportunities along with a vendor registration database. The Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Web site provides a D-U-N-S Number, a unique, nine-digit identification number, for each physical location of your business. D-U-N-S Number assignment is free for all businesses required to register with the US Federal government for contracts or grants. This research will help identify opportunities and provide some insight on how to pursue them. The registrations do not ensure success, but do remove obstacles preventing it.

Qualification

Manufacturing PCBs for the military requires qualification and compliance to military performance specifications issued by the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC).  DSCC is a Supply/Demand Chain in the Defense Logistics Agency, which is in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. DSCC manages more than two million different items and accounts for more than $3 billion in annual sales. The DSCC offers Small Business Programs that provide a wealth of information on socioeconomic programs, business opportunities, training and business counseling.

The Defense Supply Center, Columbus (DSCC) Sourcing and Qualifications Division (DSCC-VQ) centers around establishing and maintaining a known-good supplier base that have successfully demonstrated their products meet the specified performance, quality and reliability levels via the DoD product Qualification program. These suppliers are listed on the Qualified Product List (QPL), Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) or Qualified Product Database (QPD).

The Sourcing and Qualifications Division is organized into four branches, each assigned management responsibility for different technologies. DSCC-VQC handles primarily microelectronics; DSCC-VQH is assigned responsibility to manage hybrid microcircuits; DSCC-VQP primarily is assigned responsibility to manage passive electronic and construction items and DSCC-VQE is assigned responsibility for semiconductors, printed wiring boards and electron tubes.

The DSCC Library contains military specifications available for free download, including MIL-PRF-55110, the Performance Specification, Printed Wiring Board, Rigid, General Specification for (w/Amendment 3) and MIL-PRF-31032, the Performance Specification Printed Circuit Board/Printed Wiring Board, General Specification for (w/Amendment 1).