The next time you use a remote control, cell phone, sewing machine or just about anything electronic, it could very well have been made in Ogden at EMS Solutions. EMS Solutions is a premiere Electronics Manufacturing Service provider in the region and is located in the Business Depot Ogden.
They produce circuit boards from start to finish. According to their website, their customer base is large. “Our customer base includes industry leaders in the RF, Medical, Industrial, Aerospace, Military and even the very competitive Consumer product marketplace,” it said. They currently have four lines for efficient and quick work flow. Human Resources Director Ken Stewart said they have automated assembly as well as personal assembly so they can meet the needs of all their customers.
There is a huge market for the services EMS offers and they are aware of that. “There are places all over the country, but we are one of the few in Utah,” Stewart pointed out. As far as plans to add other locations, they are content to grow where they are. “That’s why we have this large space, so we can grow here first,” Stewart said. “We are happy with where we are at,” he added.
Dave Woodbury founded the company in Roy in 2000. Since that time the company has grown quickly and in 2013 relocated to its current location in the BDO. Stewart said they moved to the facility with plans to grow.
They have 95,000 square feet of manufacturing area and are currently occupying a little more than half of that space. “We are expanding all the time,” Stewart said. It was a big leap from their old site in Layton of only 14,000 square feet. Jeff Gardner, Vice President of Operations, said EMS is a growing company. “We are currently in the process of increasing our manufacturing space by 20,000 square feet.
Stewart said their quick growth comes from good work and a good reputation.
“We base our customer satisfaction on the quality of our product and ability to deliver when we need to,” Stewart noted. He was quick to point that they are at the top of their game when it comes to quality and customer satisfaction. “Our quality is right up there at the top,” he said.
Meeting or exceeding customer quality, customer delivery times and providing proactive customer service is what put them as leader in their field. Competitive pricing is also a big part of their success.
EMS performs contract manufacturing, working with clients on specific jobs moving from contract to contract. About 62 employees with a wide range of skill sets work at EMS, making their center unique and a great fit for those with engineering skills and those who can work with small parts and play close attention to detail. They employ electrical engineers, design engineers, circuit board programmers and sawter experts. Some work is done by machines, but the sawter work is very detailed. “There are tiny parts. Some are half the size of a grain of pepper,” Stewart said.
And while some have technical school or college degrees, much of the work can be trained on the job. “Some people just have a proficiency for this type of work,” Stewart said, especially of the sawter work. “We just have some people that are able to pick up on it and we like to keep them,” he said.
And EMS, like many other businesses in the BDO are finding success selling items that are made in the United States.
