Build an electronics system around your components, your boards and your firmware versions.
An electronics business works with thousands of small parts. A board needs forty of them, each with a supplier, a date code and a possible substitute.
The risks are specific. A part goes out of production. Firmware that was never approved ends up on a build. A returned unit cannot be matched to the batch that made it.
A system built at GullySystem would keep the bill of materials, the board build, the test result and the firmware together under a serial number. Returns and service would use the same record.
Electronics businesses this system could be built for.
A contract assembler building to a customer’s files and a company designing its own sensor product both track serial numbers, but they differ in who owns the design. The build follows your side of that line.
- Embedded systems companies
- PCB manufacturers
- PCB assembly companies
- Electronic manufacturing services providers
- IoT device manufacturers
- Industrial electronics manufacturers
- Electronic product manufacturers
- Sensor manufacturers
- Wire harness and cable assembly units
- Power supply and inverter makers
- Control panel builders
- LED lighting manufacturers
- Electronics repair and refurbishment centres
The modules, and what each one covers.
Nothing here is a fixed package. Each module is built, left out or changed to match how your organisation already works.
Component master and approved sources
Each component has a manufacturer part number, approved suppliers and acceptable substitutes.
- Internal part number
- Manufacturer and manufacturer part number
- Package and value
- Approved vendor list
- Alternate parts and their approval
- Lifecycle status
- Moisture sensitivity level
- Datasheet reference
Bill of materials and design files
The bill of materials is the link between the design office and the production floor.
- Board design and revision
- Reference designators and quantities
- Do not fit options
- Gerber and pick-and-place files
- Assembly drawing
- Variant bills for product versions
- Engineering change notice
- Customer-supplied bill for contract builds
Quotation and costing
Quoting a board means adding parts, assembly, test and the setup that is spread across the run.
- Component cost at quantity
- Fabrication cost for bare boards
- Assembly cost per placement
- Stencil and programming setup
- Test fixture cost
- Yield allowance
- Lead time for parts
- Quote revisions
Purchasing and stock
Stock is held by reel, tray and bag, with the date code that matters for shelf life.
- Purchase order against the bill of materials
- Minimum order quantity and price breaks
- Goods receipt with date code
- Counterfeit and incoming inspection
- Reel and bin location
- Moisture-sensitive part handling
- Customer-supplied parts kept apart
- Shortages by build
Bare board fabrication
For manufacturers of printed circuit boards, panels and layers are the unit of work.
- Panel layout and layers
- Laminate and copper weight
- Imaging, etching and drilling steps
- Plating and surface finish
- Solder mask and legend
- Electrical test of bare boards
- Yield per panel
- Scrap by process step
Assembly and line planning
Boards move through printing, placement, reflow and inspection on a line with changeovers.
- Work order per board build
- Kitting of parts to the line
- Stencil printing record
- Pick-and-place programme version
- Reflow profile used
- Automated optical inspection result
- Through-hole and manual assembly
- Line changeover plan
Test and programming
Every board is tested, and firmware is loaded under control.
- In-circuit and functional test results
- Test fixture and software version
- Firmware version loaded
- Calibration data written
- Pass and fail by serial number
- Retest history
- Fault diagnosis and repair note
- Programming station logs
Firmware and software releases
Firmware is a product part that is built, approved and released like one.
- Firmware repository link
- Release version and date
- Hardware revisions it supports
- Release notes
- Approval before use on the line
- Bootloader and configuration files
- Field update history
- Open defects against a release
Serial numbers and traceability
A serial number points to the parts, the line, the tests and the firmware used to make one unit.
- Serial number allocation
- Board and device serial linkage
- Component lot and reel used
- Operator and station
- Test and firmware record
- Forward trace from a bad reel to the units affected
- Customer shipped to
- Warranty start
Enclosure, wiring and final assembly
Boards are fitted with cables, enclosures and labels to form a product.
- Sub-assemblies
- Cable and harness stock
- Enclosure and mechanical parts
- Labelling with serial number
- Burn-in or soak test
- Final inspection
- Packing and manuals
- Accessories shipped with the unit
Quality and corrective action
Failures are logged with a cause and followed through to a fix.
- Incoming inspection
- In-process defect log
- Defect by type, such as solder bridge or tombstone
- Non-conformance report
- Corrective action
- Supplier rejection
- Customer complaint
- Repeat cause list
Returns, repairs and field service
A returned unit is looked up by serial number and its history shown to the repair technician.
- Return authorisation
- Fault reported by the customer
- Unit history and firmware
- Repair or replace decision
- Parts used in repair
- Warranty or chargeable
- Retest after repair
- Failure trends by batch or part
Dispatch and invoicing
Shipments are matched to orders, serial numbers and customer documents.
- Packing list with serial numbers
- Delivery note
- Tax invoice under your tax rules
- Currency per customer
- Export documents
- Customer schedule
- Consignment stock at customer site
- Part-shipments
One connected workflow, end to end.
Every stage below can sit in one system, so nobody re-enters what the last stage already captured.
- Enquiry
- Quote
- Design release
- Bill of materials
- Purchasing
- Incoming inspection
- Kitting
- Assembly
- Test and programming
- Final assembly
- Dispatch
- Invoice
- Returns and service
You do not have to replace everything at once.
Each phase is usable on its own, so the system earns its place before the next part is built.
- 1
Components, bills and orders
The component master, approved sources, bills of materials with revisions, quotes and customer orders.
- 2
Stock, assembly and test
Purchasing, reel stock, kitting, line work orders, test results and firmware loaded on each unit.
- 3
Serial numbers and traceability
Serial records that link parts, lots, tests and shipments, so a bad reel can be followed to the units it reached.
- 4
Returns, service and reports
Returns, repair history, warranty, customer portals and dashboards for production and quality.
How a build actually runs.
- 01
Build one board by hand
We follow one board from the bill of materials to the shipped carton and note every list that is used.
- 02
Map the product structure
Components, boards, firmware and enclosures are listed as one structure, with who owns each revision.
- 03
Agree what a serial number means
What it links to is decided before any screen is built, because traceability depends on it.
- 04
Build the component and bill records first
Stock, purchasing and assembly all read from them.
- 05
Pilot on one product line
A single board family runs through the system while others continue as before.
- 06
Load stock and history
Opening stock, current bills and the list of shipped units go in first. Each team then learns only the screens it will use.
- 07
Connect tools over time
Test stations, pick-and-place output and customer portals can be linked once the core is in use.
What you bring, and when.
The build moves at the speed of the answers. These are the things we ask for, in the order we ask.
- 01
BOMs, test procedures and firmware notes
Provide a current bill of materials, the approved vendor list, a test procedure and the way firmware versions are noted today. Where design files live is worth stating.
- 02
Design, production and test
An engineer from design, the production lead and the test technician give their view of the screens. Design changes and shop practice can collide. The engineering head has the last word.
- 03
Approved sources, release rights and pass marks
Which sources may supply each part, who may release a firmware build and the definition of a failed test are choices the work depends on. People who run the line check the results.
- 04
Shipped serials and rig connections
Serial numbers already shipped, repair records and component stock are moved over. Test rigs and programmers that write logs are linked where they allow it. The engineering head approves.
Systems we can put together for you.
- Component master and approved vendor systems
- Bill of materials with revision control
- Quote and costing tools for boards and products
- Reel and bin stock systems
- Purchasing and shortage tracking
- Line work orders and kitting
- Test result and programming records
- Firmware release and version tracking
- Serial number and traceability systems
- Incoming and in-process inspection records
- Non-conformance and corrective action tools
- Return and repair management
- Warranty and field service tracking
- Customer order and shipment portals
- Production and quality dashboards
- Multi-site electronics platforms
Questions owners ask before starting.
What is custom electronics manufacturing software?
It means a system shaped to a single company’s parts, boards, test stations and firmware. It follows each unit by serial number, which general inventory packages do not.
Can it trace a faulty component back to the units that used it?
Yes, if the reel or lot is recorded when parts are issued to a build. The units built from that lot can then be listed.
Does it handle firmware versions?
Yes. Each release is recorded with the hardware it supports, its approval status and the units it was loaded on.
Will it connect to our test stations and pick-and-place machines?
Often, depending on what each machine can export. We check that against real files from your line, and results can be imported from files where a direct link is not available.
How does it work for contract manufacturing?
Customer-supplied parts are kept separate from your stock. Each customer’s bill of materials, files and revisions are held under their account.
Can it manage a bill of materials with substitute parts?
Yes. Approved alternates are recorded against each line, and the part actually used is recorded on the build.
We design our own product and outsource assembly. Is this still useful?
Yes. The bill of materials, firmware, serial numbers, supplier builds and returns can be tracked without a production line of your own.
How are repairs and returns recorded?
The technician types the serial number and sees the unit’s build, firmware and earlier repairs, and today’s fix goes onto that same record.
Can our own team maintain it?
Yes. The code and data model are handed over with documentation that another developer can follow.
Who owns the data and the source code?
You do. That point goes into the contract, in writing, ahead of the first line of work.
How we work with this trade.
Ready products for this work.
If one of these fits, it is cheaper and faster than building from scratch. We will say so.
Build an electronics system that follows each unit by its serial number.
When a component fails in the field, the first question is which units contain it. An answer that has to be hunted for was never recorded.
Send one product’s bill of materials with a recent build record and a returned unit. The written reply covers what the system would link and what it would show the repair desk.
Tell us how your electronics manufacturers and embedded systems companies runs today.
We will tell you what can be digitised, what can be connected, what is worth automating, and what you should leave alone.
What happens after you share your requirements
- A senior engineer reads your answers. Nobody phones first.
- Within one business day you get a written note: what we understood, what we would start with, and the questions we still have.
- If it fits, a proposal follows with the order of work, what we need from you and what you receive at each step.
- No call is booked and nothing is paid until you have read the note. Your details stay with us.
Start with your requirements
Seven short steps that tell us what you need. A senior engineer reads them before anyone gets in touch.
Share your requirements