TURN-KEY ASSEMBLY

In a full turnkey engagement, Calpak USA manages everything from bare board fabrication and complete component procurement through assembly, testing, and delivery. You provide Gerber files, a BOM, and assembly drawings; Calpak USA handles the rest. In a partial turnkey model, you supply specific components, such as customer-furnished FPGAs, custom ASICs, or parts you already have in stock, while Calpak USA procures the remaining BOM line items. Both models include DFM review, solder paste stencil fabrication, SMT and through-hole assembly, inspection, and testing at our Hawthorne, California facility. Full turnkey is ideal for teams that want a single point of accountability and leveraged purchasing power across Calpak USA's distributor network. Partial turnkey works well when you have existing supply agreements, allocated inventory, or proprietary components that cannot be sourced through standard distribution channels.

Calpak USA never makes unauthorized part substitutions. When a specified component is unavailable, on extended lead time, or priced significantly above market, our procurement team identifies potential alternates that match the original part's electrical specifications, package dimensions, operating temperature range, and manufacturer quality tier. These alternates are submitted to your engineering team with detailed comparison data, and no substitution is made without your written approval. For AS9100 and ITAR programs, all approved substitutions are documented with formal deviation authorization and tracked through our Hawthorne, California quality management system. This process protects your design intent while giving Calpak USA the flexibility to maintain delivery schedules when supply chain disruptions occur. Calpak USA's cross-reference capability covers major component families including passives, semiconductors, connectors, and electromechanical parts.

Every turnkey assembly shipment from Calpak USA includes a certificate of conformance, packing slip with board serial numbers or lot codes, and inspection records documenting AOI and any X-ray results. For programs requiring IPC Class 3 workmanship, Calpak USA provides detailed inspection reports with acceptance criteria and measured values. AS9100 Rev. D and ITAR programs receive full material traceability reports linking each component lot code to the assembled board serial number. If functional testing or in-circuit testing was performed, test results and pass/fail data are included per board. Calpak USA also provides component procurement documentation showing authorized distributor certificates of conformance and manufacturer lot traceability upon request. All records are archived at our Hawthorne, California facility for a minimum of seven years, or longer if your program requires extended data retention per contract specifications.

Calpak USA's supply chain team identifies discontinued and allocated components during the initial BOM review, often before a quote is finalized. For end-of-life parts, Calpak USA searches authorized distributors and vetted independent sources for remaining stock, and simultaneously proposes form-fit-function alternates with matching specifications and package compatibility. If sufficient last-time-buy inventory is available, Calpak USA can execute a lifetime buy and warehouse the parts at our Hawthorne, California facility under a stocking agreement tied to your production forecast. For allocated parts with extended lead times, Calpak USA works with franchise distributors to secure allocation slots and adjusts the production schedule to align with confirmed delivery dates. All sourcing decisions comply with our AS9100 Rev. D and ISO 9001 procurement controls, including incoming inspection and counterfeit-part risk mitigation per SAE AS6174 guidelines.

Turnkey pricing is higher in total because it includes component procurement, incoming inspection, and inventory management costs on top of the assembly labor, testing, and overhead. However, the total cost of ownership is often comparable or lower than consigned assembly when you factor in your internal procurement labor, shipping costs for consigned kits, and the risk of line-down delays caused by missing or incorrect parts. Calpak USA turnkey pricing leverages volume purchasing across multiple customers, which can yield better component unit costs than smaller individual buys. Consigned assembly pricing at Calpak USA covers only assembly labor, stencils, inspection, testing, and packaging. It is the right choice when you have existing supply contracts, negotiated pricing, or allocated inventory. Our Hawthorne, California team provides side-by-side turnkey and consigned quotes upon request so you can make an informed decision based on your specific program economics.

Yes. Calpak USA maintains cross-reference databases covering millions of active, end-of-life, and obsolete part numbers across all major component families. Our procurement engineers use manufacturer parametric data, package specifications, and distributor lifecycle tools to identify equivalent parts that match your original BOM line item for electrical ratings, physical dimensions, pin compatibility, and operating temperature range. For RF and high-frequency components, Calpak USA verifies that alternates meet impedance, insertion loss, and frequency response requirements. Hard-to-find sourcing extends to vetted independent distributors that comply with our AS9100 Rev. D incoming inspection and counterfeit-detection procedures, including visual inspection, X-ray, decapsulation, and electrical testing per SAE AS6171 when required. Cross-reference results are documented and submitted for your engineering approval before any alternate is ordered. This service is included at no additional charge for all turnkey orders placed through our Hawthorne, California facility.