Can I ask this question please
When does Assembly of kits become Manufacturing.
I ask because a TV "Manufacturer" mentioned in this thread, Imports kits of parts to be assembled in the UK. Not wishing to be pedantic but Kit assy is not manufacturing.
Good on this company providing several jobs in the North East. but as I understand it..if you manufacture, you make everything from the pcb's to the screens to the plastic mouldings.
In the early 80's, I was heavily involved with TV production in Bradford.. No not Baird/THorn, but NEI (Network Electrical Industries). We initially started with two Mono lines making 12" B/W tv's, assembling kits based on a Goldstar design.
Soon after, we started Manufacturing a 14" Colour TV the NCW1401. Line 2 was upgraded and we brought in 3 manual component insertion machines. Each machine had an overhead projector which lit the place that the component was to be fitted, each machine could only accommodate enough parts for one third of the pcb, thus each board was sent to the next station for more bits to be fitted..then it went to Large component fitting, LOTX Tuner etc, then the flow solder station. Testing and alignment, then assembly into the cabinet. We were only contracted to make 1000 of this model under the PAL Licence.
The model was changed to the NWC1402, which was kit sourced, except for the PAL encoder, which was designed in house. The cabinet was made at a local plastic moulders, so was it still a kit assy or manufactured ??
Knowing what I do re TV manufacture, I cannot believe any company in the UK is manufacturing in the classic sense. Investment in pcb assy, i.e auto insertion, plastic moulding, would not be viable in the current economic climate.