Build-to-Print

Too often, aerospace and defense program prime subcontractors have to babysit their build-to-print vendors. 

 You send in the drawings. 

 Someone agrees to build the system. 

 And then they needle you with endless follow-up questions. 

 You can’t afford low-quality, hand-holding or missing requirements. But that’s what happens when you treat build-to-print like a low-value service. 

 When you’re beyond commodity, you need a partner that can understand the statement of work, provided feedback and drive the project to completion. ARC owns the entire build process, the final test and full system validation, so your program stays protected from the downstream failures that cost time, money and credibility. We specialize in low-volume, high-complexity builds that most contract manufacturers aren’t designed to handle.  

 At ARC, we start with your prints or spec and engineer forward. Instead of just following drawings, we interrogate quality codes, sourcing constraints, contract flowdowns and risk mitigation before a single part is ever ordered. We’ve been doing it this way for 25 years. With our in-house engineering team, execution is never just limited to manufacturing. It’s defined by ownership. 

 Our proven process delivers speed, flexibility, quality and cost-competitiveness.  

ARC delivers build-to-print systems that meet the most demanding specs in defense and aerospace, including mission-critical tests, radar control and shipboard cooling. Our team combines engineering fluency with disciplined, scalable manufacturing all under one roof, so you’re not left chasing validation. 

 We are not your typical contract manufacturer. Here’s what you can expect when you work with ARC. 

Build-to-print & Build-to-spec services 

• First time builds, repeat builds and build to incomplete documentation 

• Complex electro-mechanical assemblies and panel builds 

• CCA subassemblies and multi-rack test cabinets 

• Integrated racks with cable harnessing, PCAs and embedded controls 

• Functional test systems designed for thermal, vibration and signal integrity constraints 

• In-house standardized test platforms to perform acceptance test procedures (ATP) in record time 

• In-house RF and Software engineering experience to develop robust and complex test and validation

• Strategic supply-chain management and small business supplier engagement plan 

Dedicated production project management 

• Program and quality management aligned to AS9100 and ITAR 

• Engineering coordination for DFM/DFA optimization 

• Red-line ECO process driven by manufacturing engineers 

• LEAN Six Sigma-based production, testing and validation 

• Repeatable build processes designed to scale from first article to full-rate production and sustainment 

• Obsolescence management, configuration management and print updates 

Complex projects require more than just technical compliance. They require alignment. That’s why our team works the way your team works, and we can operate as a subcontractor or sub-tier supplier. 

 From program engineers to supply chain managers and quality leads, our cross-functional approach transforms complexity into clean execution. We reduce lift. Our structure and approach mirror your own Integrated Product Team (IPT) meetings: PMs talk to SCMs. Engineers to engineers. Quality to quality. That means fewer meetings, fewer surprises and a faster path to approval. 

 We make old prints manufacturable again. Dusting off prints from 3-5 years ago can be messy: obsolete parts, end-of-life components, long lead times, sole-source problems. Most BTP vendors just follow the drawings and let you suffer the headaches. With ARC’s in-house engineering expertise, you’ll benefit from a team that can flag problems, recommend compliant alternates and keep your contract on schedule. 

 We also don’t treat compliance as overhead. It’s part of every deliverable. ARC is fluent in defense and aerospace procurement, from contract mods to configuration control, with ISO 9001:2015 rigor baked into every step. We have a fully-integrated Quality Management System (QMS). Read our full Quality Policy. 

 We understand the growing emphasis on affordability across the defense and commercial sectors. Budgets take a hit when drawings change, quality slips or scopes balloon without warning. That’s why the most cost-effective partners aren’t necessarily the cheapest, but the ones who prevent hidden costs. With ARC, you get cost visibility from day one. CAS Accounting compliance, TINA threshold pricing and milestone-driven executions keeps budgets streamlined and on track. Obsolescence gets flagged early. Scope changes don’t spiral. And your scorecard stays clean. 

Call us when you need a supplier who understands how quality codes impact sourcing. Call us when you’ve been burned by vendors who didn’t understand the importance of compliance and meeting contractual delivery dates. Call us when your team is done babysitting vendors just to build one system.  

 Call us when you’re solving for performance — and not just price. 

Whether you’re mid-design or mid-panic, we’ll meet you where you are. And then we’ll help you move forward. Book a consultation with ARC today. 

Do you have a complex engineering project?
Schedule a demo or onsite consultation with ARC today!