Many manufacturers that produce in Asia operate locally in the German market. However, a German flag, a German phone number, a .de domain, a German sales department, or a German branch office are not, in themselves, proof of production in Germany. Therefore, a different question is crucial for purchasing decisions:
Where is the circuit board actually manufactured?
Because a supplier with a German branch and Asian production is something different than a printed circuit board manufacturer like Precoplat with its own production facilities in Germany. This differentiation should be recognized, especially when comparing prices, managing supply chains, ensuring data security, or dealing with short-term technical changes.
Why this distinction is important when comparing prices
Offers from Asia can be significantly cheaper. However, the printed circuit board industry there operates under different conditions: very high production volumes, highly concentrated supply chains, lower environmental standards and energy/labor costs, as well as substantial subsidies.
This is neither good nor bad in itself. It is simply a different industrial structure.
However, price comparisons become problematic when a customer believes they are comparing two European manufacturing models, but is actually comparing a German-made product with one from a supplier whose production is largely in Asia. In that case, it's easy to compare apples and oranges. Andreas Brüggen, Managing Director of Precoplat, emphasizes the production location as an essential component of a fair comparison of offers: "If a supplier sells in Germany but has the circuit board manufactured in Asia, that's no comparison to German manufacturing. The production location should be just as transparent as the price and delivery time."
Therefore, a clear indication of origin is the first reliable indication of actual German manufacturing. Are the offered circuit boards, for example, labelled "Made in Germany"? This designation is more than just a pretty German flag. According to legal precedent, the essential manufacturing steps that give an industrial product its key properties must take place in Germany. However, purchased raw materials or semi-finished products do not fundamentally preclude "Made in Germany." Precoplat This origin is deliberately stated unambiguously: The circuit boards of Precoplat are manufactured exclusively in Germany. The reasons behind this decision are explained in detail under Made in Germany Precoplat explained.
For Katharina Völker, Managing Director of PrecoplatTherefore, a statement of origin also includes the corresponding traceability: "Made in Germany should not be a promise that the customer simply has to believe. With Precoplat "It can be shown specifically where the printed circuit boards are manufactured: at our own production site in Krefeld." Whether such a statement is actually plausible can be easily checked with just a few points.
The quick origin check for printed circuit boards:
1. Does the printed circuit board explicitly state "Made in Germany"?
Not "German Engineering", "German Service" or "European Provider", but a clear statement about Manufacturing of the product.
For Precoplat: Yes.
2. Is a specific production site named?
A manufacturer should not only state its company headquarters, but also be able to explain, where production takes place.
For Precoplat The answer is: Oberdießemer Straße 15 in Krefeld.
Those who want to take a very pragmatic approach can even view the location from the air: Precoplat-Production on Google EarthA satellite image is of course not a certificate of origin. But it is a surprisingly simple plausibility check to verify whether an address actually represents an industrial production site.
3. Are the company's own manufacturing processes shown transparently?
Those who produce their own goods should also be able to provide insights into their own manufacturing process.
Production images, insights into individual manufacturing steps, and company or press reports can reveal which processes are actually carried out in-house. This is particularly useful for printed circuit boards, allowing companies to verify whether processes such as multilayer manufacturing, drilling and milling, electroplating, structuring, solder mask application, surface finishing, or testing procedures are part of their in-house production.
Precoplat The company presents its manufacturing on its own website and regularly in company articles and press releases.
4. Are technical data, quality standards and certificates publicly verifiable?
The more transparently a manufacturer documents its technical capabilities, the easier it is to assess whether the stated level of vertical integration is plausible.
For Precoplat is this in Download Center comprehensibly. Published there Precoplat including technical delivery conditions, design rules, multilayer layer structures and certificates.
Four yeses? Then there's already a strong case for actually having your own production facility.
German raw materials are not required for "Made in Germany".
One point is occasionally misunderstood regarding the topic of "Made in Germany".
The circuit boards of Precoplat The raw materials are not exclusively of German origin. FR4 laminates, copper foils, chemicals, and other pre-materials are part of international supply chains. This is unavoidable, as many components can no longer be sourced within Europe.
What is crucial for industrial products is where the key value-determining manufacturing steps take place. For Precoplat great from these raw materials Unpopulated printed circuit boards manufactured in KrefeldFrom technical data verification to the actual printed circuit board manufacturing and quality assurance, the crucial processes remain at the site.
International procurement is not inherently wrong. For certain requirements, it is absolutely economically sensible and without alternative.
But: The customer should know what they are buying and where it is produced.
Choosing an Asian manufacturer is a logical procurement decision. However, those who deliberately want to source a printed circuit board from Germany or Western Europe should be certain that the product actually comes from such a location.
Conclusion: Don't just look at the flag
Registering a German domain is quick and easy.
A German flag can be quickly placed on a website.
A German sales office can also be opened.
However, complex printed circuit board manufacturing in Germany is not possible.
Anyone who values "Made in Germany" should therefore definitely not forgo a brief background check.
