Challenger Solutions

United Kingdom’s aerospace and defence, homeland security, and naval sector is one of the world’s largest consumers of electronics, which are used in several applications such as passenger information systems, missile guidance systems, radar jamming on frigates, and more. The disruptions associated with supply chains, in addition to defence budgetary constraints and project-based modes, introduce high levels of unpredictability in the A&D industry. Additionally, the sector has taken several significant hits in the aftermath of Brexit. “In recent years, the A&D industry has been facing many challenges. What it needs is a supply chain that mitigates those challenges by paving the way for innovative solutions and consistent support,” begins Andy Mair, Managing Director at Challenger Solutions.

Challenger Solutions is a Contract Electronics Manufacturing firm specialising in PCB assembly & box build, offering highly reliable products utilising surfacemount and through-hole technologies. The company specialises in complex electronics manufacturing and assists its clients in the design, rapid prototyping, and production, comprehensively covering a multitude of their requirements. It provides high-quality and reliable electronics and information systems to a broad spectrum of industrial and commercial businesses in the UK, such as A&D, oil and gas, industrial controls, automotive, and communications. Having been involved in the A&D and homeland security sector for over three decades, Challenger has heavily invested in its equipment, methodologies, and supply chains, thereby establishing its very own A&D company. Positive customer experience and engagement is of great significance to Challenger; and whether it’s an existing or new customer, the company dives deep into their motivations, requisites, and goals, offering its expertise during development phases.

Challenger’s engineering and test teams engage with clients and comprehend their requirements at the early stages of development. This is followed by the design and manufacturing processes, where the teams conduct thorough testing, examine the first-build product, and incorporates DFM for manufacturability.

The teams then produce a first article inspection report for the client’s quality assurance departments, comprehensively addressing critical aspects of the build and supply chain. Elaborating on the same, Mair adds, “We support clients with an efficient supply chain that ensures incorporation of readily available and technically supported devices and develop processes that assures quality and repeatability in assembly.”Challenger Solutions are an open book and provide fully costed BOMs at both quotation and purchasing stage while sharing details of ECC numbers and other critical information, Challenger provides its customers with every bit of information that they need to present to their clients or MOD.Housing nine interchangeable SMT machines, the company provides solutions that enable rapid prototyping and full economic productions swiftly and efficiently. The final products are examined and verified by effective automated inspection and testing methods, ensuring that clients products are delivered with the highest quality solution.

Keeping up with the trends in the industry, Challenger implements JTAG for testing its products. As flying probes are slowly becoming inefficient, the company is engaging and investing in boundary scanning methods. Acknowledging the importance of data security in the development processes, Challenger communicates all the information to clients via VPN and secure file transfer channels. In addition to the security, the customers also appreciate the level of flexibility that Challenger offers. With over three decades of experience in the industry, the company produces accurate quotations rapidly and delivers the product in a timely fashion. As Mair elaborates, Challenger has the capabilities, accreditations and process systems of a large contract manufacturer whilst retaining the flexibility and speed of a smaller company, providing customers with the highest level of attention and expertise they need for the successful delivery of their product. One of its clients, a military equipment maker, was a beneficiary of Challengers flexible operations. As an existing customer of the company, the client approached Challenger for new product development, and what followed was a scenario unheard of in the A&D industry.

The client was redeveloping and modifying one of its older products. The product had six different assemblies, and the client shared their idea of what componentry they would like to incorporate. Challenger examined the client’s bill of materials and developed a list of alternative componentry that could be used in case of unavailability of components. Challenger quickly procured all the materials, revised the bill of materials multiple times when the client requested and built the PCBs. On account of Challenger’s proactive approach, the client built the product, from concept to a fully-tested prototype, within five months, effectively commemorating the collaboration by ticking all the boxes.

Challenger increased its operational capacity by thirty per cent last year during the pandemic. The company is evaluating its capabilities with A&D as part of its expansion. In the next phase of growth, Challenger has continued to increase capacity in its box building services; it has already invested in two more factories to conduct the final assembly work. The company is also contemplating the establishment of a separate purposebuilt factory focusing A&D sector. “We are big enough to care but small enough to cope. We’re good at increasing our capability without losing the flexibility. And we’re retaining that attitude going forward,” concludes Mair