The advantages and disadvantages of In-House electronics development

Whether it involves an embedded computing platform with hardware and filmware for the semiconductor industry or a custom-designed electronic circuit for intelligent camera systems. Electronics development can either be handled internally or entrusted to a specialist such as ProMicro. Below, we outline the main advantages and disadvantages of in-house development to help you make an informed decision.

Many companies perceive outsourcing electronics development as expensive and potentially risky, citing concerns such as loss of internal knowledge and lack of product ownership. However, in practice, we often see clients encountering unforeseen challenges during internal development, frequently underestimating the time and resources required.

Five common challenges in In-House electronics development

Commonly reported reasons for struggling with In-House electronics development:

• High Investment of Time and Resources: Electronics development may only occur once a year, or even once every five years. Preparing your processes and organisation for such periodic activities requires a disproportionately high investment of time and money. Due to the cyclical nature of electronics development, it is also challenging to retain knowledgeable engineers. After the development phase, a sustaining phase typically follows, during which there is limited opportunity for innovation or major design work. As a result, retaining skilled engineers becomes difficult, and essential knowledge tends to leave the organisation.
• Lack of In-House Expertise Leads to Unnecessary Iterations: Insufficient internal knowledge can result in avoidable iterations, certifications may prove unattainable, design choices may be ineffective, and various (often minor) defects may only become apparent at higher production volumes. Addressing these issues can be highly disruptive, requiring additional time for processing, analysis, and development. In some cases, this can also harm your brand positioning.
• Leadtime Is Underestimated: A well-structured and robust development process takes time, yet this time is often not accounted for in advance. The time required for iterations, in particular, is frequently underestimated.
• Scarcity of Skilled Personnel: There is a lack of adequately trained staff. Contrary to belief Electronics engineers are even more scarce than, for example, software engineers.
• Organisation Not Adequately Set Up for Product Development: There is a lack of suitable laboratory or testing facilities, or they are severely limited.

Why collaborate with a specialist in electronics development?

Many companies embark on their own electronics development journey with confidence. This is understandable; it appears efficient and gives a sense of control. However, challenges often arise that were not evident at the outset.

Questions such as how to ensure compliance with safety standards like EMC, RED, or Functional Safety, how to preserve institutional knowledge when key personnel leave, and who takes responsibility for overseeing multidisciplinary collaboration, often remain unanswered.

In-house electronics development frequently suffers from a lack of continuity, scalable knowledge, and oversight of the overall process. Deadlines shift, prototypes require multiple iterations, and certification trajectories turn out to be more complex than expected. In such moments, the need for a reliable partner with deep technical expertise becomes apparent.

First-Time-Right approach

An experienced development partner contributes not only technical expertise but also structure, process assurance, and a continuous focus on the end result at every stage. This minimises costly iterations, reputation risks, and unexpected delays.

A specialist in electronics development anticipates challenges, asks critical questions, and evaluates feasibility early in the process. Not to slow things down, but to increase the likelihood of achieving a “first-time-right” outcome, ensuring that time and resources are used effectively.

A five-phase development process

But what does a typical development process look like?

Developing a PCBA takes time. Ideally, your development partner is involved as early as possible. The process does not begin with simply building a prototype but rather with research and thorough inquiry, Phase 1 of the development. This stage focuses on clarifying requirements, understanding the true user needs, and defining the business case. This ensures that the design not only meets the explicit expectations defined at the outset but also the implicit ones that often emerge later and trigger iterations.

All requirements and preferences must be made as concrete as possible. If this proves difficult initially, a brainstorming session may be helpful in arriving at a clear plan. Our philosophy is that nearly all solutions can be realised.

Once the requirements are defined, the project moves into Phase 2: Design, Calculations, and Simulations, where feasibility and functionality under all conditions (environmental) is thoroughly assessed.

Prototyping and qualification

The next stage, Phase 3, involves engineering and implementation, followed by Phase 4: Prototyping, where an initial zero-series is produced. Subsequently, Phase 5: the qualification phase, evaluates whether the established requirements have been met.

On average, a development project at our company spans approximately 3 to 9 months, depending on the complexity of the challenges.

Are you curious about what we can do for your project?
Our team is ready to assist you. Please reach out to us via our contact page.