Fiber optic assemblies are at the heart of today’s most demanding applications—from scientific instruments and medical devices to telecom, defense, and industrial automation. As a trusted manufacturing partner, Agility Tech delivers technical excellence along with collaborative support and supply chain reliability that OEMs need to innovate, scale confidently, and meet commitments.
Agility Tech’s North America operations have been leading the way in solutions-focused electronic manufacturing services for well over three decades.
Equipped with in-house glass and plastic fiber optic assembly processing, polishing, assembly, and testing capabilities, our North America operations can expertly support your fiber optic needs, ranging from standard FC and ST configurations and ribbon fiber, to small form factor connection configurations and custom applications.
Click here to learn more about fiber optic basics, our fiber optic capabilities, and how to choose the right manufacturing partner.
Outsourcing fiber optic production to a specialized manufacturing partner reduces production risks for OEMs by leveraging expertise, infrastructure and capital equipment/assets, supply chain proficiency, and economies of scale. Below is a concise breakdown of how this approach mitigates key risks:
1. Mitigating Technical & Quality Risks
Precision & Expertise:
Fiber optic production requires specialized expertise, carefully monitored and executed manufacturing and quality control protocols, precision polishing, sub-micron alignment, meticulous cleaning, and complex test/validation equipment. We utilize advanced equipment and highly skilled technicians to produce fiber optic assemblies that meet all customer requirements.
Rigorous Testing:
End-to-end testing is required to ensure compliant fiber optic assemblies, preventing field failures and costly recalls:
- Digital Inspection Scopes: These devices are used to examine the end faces for cleanliness and defects, such as scratches that can degrade signal transmission.
- Insertion Loss (IL) Testing: Measures the signal strength loss as light travels through fiber optic components. A lower insertion loss indicates better performance. Testing with a light source and power meter or an Optical Loss Test Set (OLTS) is a highly accurate method for measuring attenuation or end-to-end signal loss. By analyzing how waves combine and interact, interferometry can be used to measure distances, surface profiles, refractive index variations, etc., with high accuracy.
- Return Loss (RL) Testing: Evaluates the amount of light reflected back towards the source. Higher return loss values signify less reflection, and therefore, better performance.
- Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) Testing: An OTDR analyzes reflected and backscattered light to detect faults, bends, splice losses, and measures fiber length.
- Visible Light Source Testing: Using a visible light laser is a method of identifying breaks or bends by showing light leakage.
2. Supply Chain & Component Risks
Component Sourcing: Qualified manufacturing partners manage complex supply chains for connectors, ferrules, specialty fibers and other required components and materials, mitigating shortages and obsolescence through strategic supplier networks.
Multi-Site Manufacturing & Tariff/Logistics Flexibility: Unlike manufacturers limited to a single plant or region, Agility Tech offers multiple synergistic manufacturing operations across strategic regions (U.S., Mexico, and off-shore), with the same requisite certifications, core competencies, and capabilities. This structure allows us to provide our customers with essential manufacturing, engineering, tooling, global supply chain, scalability, and logistics options, leveraging the regions with the most favorable tariff conditions, trade agreements between cooperating countries, and logistics as circumstances dictate. Agility Tech offers its customers essential flexibility and options—quickly adapting to sudden trade and policy disruptions—maintaining competitiveness and supply continuity for all stakeholders.
3. Scalability and Time-to-Market Risks
Scheduling/Demand Fluctuations: Qualified manufacturing partners can effectively and efficiently manage fluctuation of OEM upside and downside production requirements while mitigating adverse outcomes to customers.
Faster Launch Cycles: Automated processes, focused expertise, and dedicated production lines significantly accelerate time-to-market.
4. Cost and Resource Risks
Eliminating Fixed Costs: OEMs can avoid capital expenditures for specialized polishing, fiber testing, and validation equipment, by collaborating with qualified manufacturing partners.
Labor Specialization: Avoid costly personnel training and certifications. Skilled and highly trained technicians perform required intricate tasks.
5. Compliance and Continuity Risks
Regulatory Assurance: Qualified manufacturing partners maintain QMS excellence and required certifications (ISO 9001, ISO 13485, IPC, ITAR, etc.), support serialization requirements, and archive documentation for traceability, ensuring compliance in regulated markets such as medical and defense.
Risk Diversification: Qualified manufacturing partners with multi-site production mitigate single-point manufacturing failures and supply chain ruptures.
