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How to speak like a hardware engineer.

Software people write code. We hardware people speak it.
Table of Contents

Working in making electronics products means you will have to use a lot of acronyms. We love the hardware lingo but you may get lost in it so we have put a shortlist of the main acronyms. Hardware is a little less hard once you can understand its language.

⚙️ Engineering

  • NPD: New Product Development
  • NPI: New Product Introduction
  • PD: Product Development
  • PRD: Product Requirement Document
  • RFQ: Request For Quotation
  • SOW: Statement Of Work
  • T&C: Terms & Conditions
  • REV: Revision
  • REQ: Requirement
  • EE: Electrical Engineering
  • ME: Mechanical Engineering
  • PV: Product Validation
  • DFM: Design For Manufacturing
  • R&D: Research & Development
  • CAD: Computer Aided Design
  • SCHE: Schematics Diagram
  • CMF: Colour, Material, Finishing requirements
  • IoT: Internet of Things
  • PCB: Printed Circuit Board
  • PCBA: Printed Circuit Board Assembly
  • SoC: System on Chip
  • RFID: Radio Frequency Identification
  • EVT: Engineering Validation Test
  • DVT: Design Validation Test
  • PVT: Production Validation Test
  • PLM: Product Lifecycle Management
  • EOL: End Of Life
  • OOO: Out Of Specifications
  • ROI: Return On Investment
  • IP: Intellectual Property

🏭 Manufacturing

  • BOM: Bill Of Materials
  • eBOM: Engineering Bill Of Materials
  • EMS: Electronic Manufacturing Service
  • ODM: Original Design Manufacturer
  • OEM: Original Equipment Manufacturer
  • CM: Contract Manufacturer
  • JIT: Just In Time
  • OTD: On-Time Delivery
  • KPI: Key Performance Indicator
  • SOP: Standard Operating Procedure
  • OTS: Off-The-Shelf
  • PP: Pre Production
  • MP: Mass Production
  • L/T: Lead Time
  • TTM: Time To Market
  • COGS: Cost Of Goods Sold
  • SKU: Stock Keeping Unit
  • L/C: Letter of Credit
  • ICs: Integrated Circuits
  • SMT: Surface Mount Technology
  • BGA: Ball Grid Array component
  • DIP: Dual Inline Package
  • SPI: Solder Paster Inspection
  • AOI: Automated Optical Inspection
  • AXI: X-Ray Inspection
  • FCT: Functional Test
  • FATP: Final Assembly, Test & Pack
  • QC: Quality Control
  • iQC: Incoming Quality Control
  • IPQC: In-Process Quality Control
  • OQC: Outgoing Quality Control
  • QA: Quality Assurance
  • ATP: Acceptance Test Plan
  • AQL: Accepted Quality Limit
  • SQL: Statistical Quality Control
  • SCM: Supply Chain Management
  • RMA: Return Merchandise Authorization

📦 Logistics

  • B/L: Bill of Lading
  • POL: Port of Loading
  • POD: Port of Delivery
  • LCL: Less than Container Load
  • FCL: Full Container Load
  • EXW: Ex-Works (Incoterms)
  • FCA: Free Carrier (Incoterms)
  • DDP: Delivery Duty Paid (Incoterms)
  • CBM: Cubic Meter
  • GW: Gross Weight
  • NW: Net Weight
  • CI: Commercial Invoice
  • P/L: Packing List
  • EMS: Enhanced Messaging Service
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