The "Why Benchmark?" blogs are an ongoing series highlighting the people, processes, and technologies that set Benchmark apart. Tune in every month to read the next installment in the series. This month's blog highlights Benchmark's culture and the ongoing change the company has made in moving from an Electronic Manufacturing Service (EMS) provider to a total solutions partner.
change Is In The AirAt Benchmark, our vision is to positively impact lives by solving complex challenges with our customers and creating innovative products that no one imagined were possible. But to realize this vision, we've had to make a few changes along the way. Organizational change is never easy or comfortable. It takes commitment—from the top down—to accomplish what Benchmark has done over the last several years. We've expanded our business model in just a short time and evolved from a tried-and-true EMS provider to a total solutions partner.
Before I joined Benchmark, I didn't realize just how far the company had come. I've held several positions at different leading companies throughout my contract manufacturing career, affording me a broad perspective of the industry. My impression from the outside was that Benchmark was always a dependable EMS provider who could get the job done across various markets.
After joining Benchmark, though, my views began to change—and quickly. It didn't take long to see firsthand all the investments made in talent, emerging technology, and new partnerships developed with some of the world's most innovative companies. This was when I realized Benchmark was well on its way to moving into the upper echelon of solution partners serving highly regulated markets. For complex technologies facing the most demanding technical challenges, it became clear that Benchmark was positioning itself to offer comprehensive services, from product design and engineering to advanced manufacturing and end-to-end lifecycle management.
It's no surprise that this transformation has strengthened our culture. I often hear team members describe the "One Benchmark" philosophy. People here recognize that being a total solutions partner who can take customers from concept through production represents a tremendous opportunity. Beyond offering a vertically integrated approach, it's just as important to recognize Benchmark's achievements in unifying common tools, practices, processes, equipment, and more across a global network of manufacturing sites.
Always Moving Forward
I attribute the continuing success to a culture of growth. One route on our journey has been through our investments in continuous improvement and our strides towards operational excellence. By embracing proven practices like Lean Six-Sigma and Kaizen, Benchmark empowers our people to operate truly world-class manufacturing facilities. Benchmark has a tradition of friendly competition across our global operations teams in our Benchmark Enterprise Excellence Global Olympics, or BEX. Each competing team's enthusiasm, energy, and contribution make this competition an overwhelming success for both the company and our customers.
Just as important as our drive for progress is embracing new perspectives. Benchmark's competitive advantage lies within our people's diverse views and experiences. Our teams are constructive, innovative, and drive improvements as agents of change from the shop floors to the engineering labs and stock rooms to the corporate headquarters. Each of our global sites brings forward its unique expertise and works closely with other Benchmark sites worldwide to ensure we're meeting the quality, cost, and delivery expectations of all our customers.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
In technology, everything is about moving forward and fast. The rapid change in electronics manufacturing requires innovation, ingenuity, inspiration, and a passion for excelling. At Benchmark, we're evolving with the marketplace and putting the work in to ensure we meet our customers' needs today, tomorrow, and into the future. Our commitment to our customers' changing needs includes investments in technology solutions like high-performance circuit design, high-frequency radio design, and unique electronics substrate processes. Beyond meeting the needs of new technology, we've also honed our traditional printed circuit board assembly capabilities through developments in the in-circuit and functional test, process automation, and machine vision platforms that get our customer's products to market faster.
Whether it's through our "One Benchmark" philosophy, our culture of growth, or our "whatever it takes" approach, our people are embracing progress. Benchmark is solving challenges with over 40 years of industry experience across commercial aerospace, complex industrial, advanced computing, defense, next-gen communications, medical technologies, to semiconductor capital equipment. Benchmark is solving challenges when it matters most. I'm proud to be a part of Benchmark's transformation and am excited to see what's ahead.
