Manufacturing process · SKD stage · Riyadh
How a network device is assembled, tested and checked on the Riyadh line
At the SKD stage, ONT, 5G CPE and Mesh Wi-Fi devices reach IK Semiconductor as partly built sub-assemblies, and the final stages happen in Riyadh; a 5G MiFi line is planned. This page follows a device through those stages, shows which decisions come from your specification and which from the factory, and lists the quality controls around the line.
The stages a device goes through
| Stage | What happens | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Incoming inspection | Components and sub-assemblies are checked on arrival, before they reach the line | The factory's quality-control practice, plus any incoming checks your specification names |
| 2. Final assembly | Partly built sub-assemblies are completed into the finished device | Your design, built to standard operating procedures replicated from the partner factory |
| 3. Testing | Each device goes through the programme's test plan, which sets which tests run on every unit and which on a sample | Your specification and acceptance criteria |
| 4. Firmware loading | Your firmware build is loaded and checked | You: the firmware stays yours |
| 5. Branding and packaging | The device is labelled and packed with your branding and packaging | You, as agreed for the programme |
| 6. Finished-device check | Finished devices are checked before they leave the factory | The factory's quality-control practice and your acceptance criteria |
The order of testing and firmware loading can differ by device. The test plan for your programme fixes it.
What stays outside the Kingdom at SKD: component and board production. Board-level assembly in Riyadh, using SMT and DIP processes, comes with the CKD stage, planned for 2028. See the roadmap
What gets tested, and who decides
The line does not apply one generic test to every product. What is tested on every unit, what is tested on a sample, and the pass criteria come from your specification and are written into the programme's test plan before the first build. The device family shapes that plan:
- ONT: the PON generation and optical budget decide what is tested optically on every unit; the firmware is loaded and verified at the end of the line.
- 5G CPE: bands, power class and antenna configuration decide which RF tests run on every unit rather than on a sample.
- 5G MiFi (planned line): battery capacity, heat, bands, firmware, and charging and connection testing will follow the device's specification.
- Mesh Wi-Fi: your specification sets how nodes pair and how they are tested, singly, as a kit, or both.
What to agree in the test plan
- Which tests run on every unit, and which on a sample
- The pass criteria for each test, and whose specification they come from
- The firmware build, and how the loaded version is confirmed
- Traceability: each serial number linked to its lot, firmware build and test record
- What happens to a unit that fails: rework, retest or reject
- Yield and rework reporting against your acceptance criteria
- Who owns the test fixtures
- How a change to the design, components or firmware is approved and re-validated
Quality controls around the line
- A replicated set-up. The facility was designed and built to the specification of a partner factory in China that specialises in CPE, ONT and FTTR products. Its standard operating procedures were replicated from that factory, with supervision and knowledge transfer from its team.
- Trained operators. The lines, testing and quality control are run by Saudi staff trained under that knowledge-transfer programme, working with the partner factory's team.
- Incoming and outgoing checks. Quality-control practices cover incoming components and finished devices.
- AI video monitoring. AI video analytics watch the production floor for access and ESD rules, safety rules and line discipline, giving operational visibility across the stages of work.
- Certified management systems. ISO 9001 for quality, ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety. When you evaluate a programme, ask for copies and check each certificate's current scope and validity dates against it.
Branding and packaging
Devices can leave the line under your brand. Local customisation and branding are part of the SKD stage today, and the branding and packaging for each programme are agreed with you before the first build.
What the line does not do
- It does not make chips, wafers or integrated circuits. It assembles and tests devices.
- At the SKD stage, it does not assemble boards. Board-level assembly is planned for CKD.
- Under OEM, it does not design the product. Your design is built as specified; in-house design belongs to the long-term ODM phase.
Questions about the process
Is every unit tested?
Every device goes through the programme's test plan. Which tests run on every unit and which on a sample is set in that plan, against your specification, before the first build.
Who owns the test fixtures?
That is settled in the contract. If you want the option to move production later, make sure the fixtures are yours.
Does SKD assembly count as local manufacture?
Under Saudi rules, local content is assessed for each product by the assessing authority's methodology. It is not declared by the factory. How much of the build happens in Riyadh is one of the inputs.
Can you share yield figures?
Yield means something only against agreed acceptance criteria, so it is not published as one figure for the whole factory. Ask for yield and rework reporting for your programme and write it into the test plan.
Discuss your test plan
Send your device family, specification and acceptance criteria, or the parts you can share, with your volumes and the date units must be in the field. With these details we can assess how the plan would run on the line at its current stage.
info@interkey-sc.com.sa · +966-11-2180999 · +966-55-3475469 · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia