We’ve always had a “status” column under Running orders to tell you how far your order has got in the manufacturing process, but our customers have told us that the names of the steps and what they mean has not been clear enough. We want to make our services as smooth and as transparent as possible for our design and purchasing customers, so we have introduced a new timeline. Now in one place it tells you where your order is, what we are doing with it, whether you can make any changes, and when it will be shipped. It links to full details of the order and to its associated paperwork. All the information and links you need to check that your order is proceeding smoothly and will be delivered on schedule can be seen at a glance.

How does it work?

Select any running order and click on the green entry in the “Status” column. This opens a new page. Three columns at the top display:

  • Order summary including the shipping date and a link to the full order details;
  • Shipping address;
  • Invoice address.

Below them is a thumbnail of the top and bottom of the finished PCB, and 5 boxes showing the timeline through the factory. Each box contains 1 or 2 green dots. Click on the dot to see the associated message.

The boxes and dots correspond to the process steps in the Status column.

Analysis

The Analysis box covers data preparation. There are 5 status steps:

  1. Analysis. The order has been placed. One of our engineers is inputting and checking the data. More.
  2. Single image. An engineer is preparing your data for production. The name “single image” may be a bit confusing. It refers to what we will deliver to you as customer. So, depending on what you order, it may be a single circuit or a delivery panel. We put the single images together to build the data-set for the pooling panel that will go through the factory. More.
  3. Single image CC. A second engineer is cross-checking the work of the first engineer to ensure that it is correct. More.These are the data checking stages. They are shown by a single green dot in the Analysis box with the message:You still have the opportunity to modify your data. There is a direct link to the appropriate menu. If you have requested a Pre-production check you will receive an email that we have prepared the production data and it is ready for you to check.
  4. EXP. We have raised an exception at one of the preceding stages. When this is sorted, the job will go back to status Analysis.Now there is a red dot in the Analysis box and the message indicates what action you should take.A green ring indicates that the order is back in process.
  5. Panelise. The single image data is now ready to be put onto a production panel.The single image data preparation is complete and no further changes to the data are possible. The only change you can make to your order is to change the delivery address. There is now a second green dot in the Analysis box with the message:The order confirmation lists the technical parameters of your order. If there is something wrong, you should contact us by chat immediately.

Production.

The status stages are

  1. In production. The job has been put onto a production panel and is now in the process of manufacture.
  2. Accepted after inspection. Your job has been manufactured and inspected. It is now ready for shipment.

Shipping

  1. Internal logistics, 4 Express to Aachen, 6 Aachen logistics. Your job is being prepared for dispatch. The second two status names are for our internal use only.
  2. Shipped. Your order has been shipped.The message includes links the information you may need at this stage:

  • Tracking number and link to the courier service.
  • Delivery note to confirm what we have dispatched and where
  • Passport for the job’s quality record.

Invoice

Invoiced. There is only 1 status step and 1 message. Invoices are normally emailed to the designated contact 2 – 3 days after the boards are dispatched.

Payment

Unpaid invoices are listed under the Financial tab, rather than recorded as a status step. When the invoice has been paid we complete the timeline.