Why a Designer Might Choose DNI and/or Consigned Parts
Here at Grande Electronic, we specialize in Full Turnkey PCB & Assembly services. This means that we offer to take care of every piece of your PCB project, from parts procurement to board fabrication, and throughout component assembly and programming. We pride ourselves on our efficient and professional parts procurement team, who strive always to minimize your BOM price and to expedite the shipment of your electronic components.
All this being said, we understand that circumstances may sometimes make it preferable to personally source a few of your BOM items, rather than relegating the entire BOM to our procurement services. If you find yourself in such a circumstance, you will need to decide between two options for your personally-sourced parts: you can mark the parts as DNI, or as Consigned.
Differences between DNI and Consigned Parts
Consigned parts are those which will not be purchased by Grande’s Parts Procurement team, but will be populated on the board during assembly by Grande. Any components that have been marked as Consigned on your BOM should be promptly shipped to Grande’s Shenzhen offices so that they may be sent on to our Shenzhen facility along with the rest of your order.
DNI parts (sometimes also called DNP or DNE) are those that will not be purchased by Grande’s Parts Procurement team, and will not be populated on the board during assembly by Grande. Any components that have been marked as DNI on your BOM should be kept at your local facilities, to be populated onto the board at a later date.
Reasons to Choose Consignment over DNI
Consignment is useful if you, the designer, have leftover stock from a previous project, or if you have credit with a specific vendor. Some clients prefer to program their own ICs, and will choose to consign parts for this reason. Custom or uncommon parts are also often consigned to Grande.
Reasons to Choose DNI over Consignment
DNI is very useful in avoiding lead times. For instance: if your BOM specifies a connector with a 3 week lead time, you can mark that BOM line as DNI, and populate the connector once you receive your finished boards. DNI is also frequently chosen for larger or heavier objects to reduce the cost of shipping. Some clients also choose DNI for some components their prototype PCBs so that they can experiment with an array of possible components which could work for that position on the board.
No matter the scenario, Grande Electronic is ready to offer our cooperation and support in sourcing the parts for your turnkey PCB project. We will work with you every step of the way to ensure that your project is assembled with the highest quality parts, the strictest adherence to your design, and the shortest possible lead times. DNI and Consigned parts handling is just one of the many ways that we collaborate with our clients to ensure a professional and enjoyable customer experience.