A Global Rise

VEXOS
Written by Pauline Müller

As a powerful Tier III, award-winning global leader in electronics manufacturing services (EMS), specializing in end-to-end supply chain management solutions, VEXOS has a significant responsibility serving its customer base during a time of major geopolitical turbulence.

Despite the shifting international landscape, VEXOS continues to provide its customers with cutting-edge technology alongside superior service and exceptional supply chain efficiency, growing its market share in the smart grid infrastructure, communications, computing, and security industries. Also serving the medical, automotive, military, and aerospace industries, the company has deep expertise in managing the entire electronic product life cycle on behalf of its clients, a service that significantly enhances ease of ownership. This comprehensive approach spans value engineering services for product development as well as prototyping and new product introduction (NPI), product evolution, maturity, and end-of-life phases. Leveraging its global network of facilities across North America and Asia, Vexos delivers these services at scale, ensuring consistency, flexibility, and cost efficiency for customers worldwide.

While EMS forms the mainstay foundation of its capabilities, Vexos also provides Custom Material Solutions (CMS). From PCBs to plastic and metal parts, CMS is a key growth vertical to serve original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and new emerging technology companies.

Serving a broad range of clients from its facilities in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Vancouver, Washington, USA; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Dongguan, China, VEXOS expanded its North American presence last year to include a state-of-the-art, 40,000-square-foot EMS footprint in Juarez, Mexico to improve and maintain overall company efficiencies. To achieve such growth, the VEXOS team has worked tirelessly to increase capacity and efficiency. The company also acquired ControlTek in Vancouver, Washington, in September 2023, and earlier this year, it announced the completion of expansions to this facility, which include a cleanroom, a fourth surface mount technology (SMT) line, and Inovaxe custom storage.

In Asia, VEXOS announced an 8,000 square foot expansion of its Ho Chi Minh City facility, focused on box builds and assembly processes. The company also enhanced its SMT lines to increase capacity. In addition, VEXOS has moved its Dongguan operations to a newer facility near the Guangdong technology hub.

Backed by strong collaboration with its Markham operations, the company’s newest Mexico facility is in the final stages of achieving ISO 9001 certification. This upcoming certification will affirm the facility’s commitment to a rigorously managed quality system, driving consistent processes across services, from exceptional box build assembly to PCBA manufacturing and testing. Vexos’ Markham site also received the prestigious AS9100D certification—and reflects, in the words of Senior Vice President of Global Business Development Cyril Fernandes, the company’s strong growth within the aerospace industry. In addition to growth within the aerospace industry, the company has also seen notable increase in business from Fortune 500 companies, a development that holds tremendous promise for its continued success.

Initially launching in 2024 with two SMT lines, the Juarez, Mexico facility now offers four lines and is anticipating further growth in the near future. “We do think that we will get to six SMT lines within the next six to 12 months—a tripling of capacity in 18 months,” says Fernandes. “We have weathered the [geopolitical] storm quite effectively,” he continues, highlighting the facility’s impressive growth since its opening during trying times and its role in achieving such resilience.

To further boost the entire company’s efficiency, with the Juarez facility as his main focus, VEXOS announced the appointment of Hadi Farashahi as Senior Vice President of Operational Excellence in early September this year. VEXOS has reviewed its processes in detail to identify opportunities for improvement that will streamline the customer experience while boosting productivity. “Our global footprint provides customers with significant flexibility in choosing the site of production for their products being manufactured, ensuring the most effective landed cost for their good. A key element of effective landed costs is a significant focus on operational excellence. The addition of Hadi to our senior management team is tangible evidence of our commitment,” Fernandes explains, illustrating the company’s need for such strategic measures.

The VEXOS Vancouver facility collaborates with service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB), CTEK2, to develop ‘set-aside’ capabilities for United States government tenders typically reserved for minority-owned businesses. “This initiative leverages our core skills to enable companies to engage with the U.S. government through this set-aside,” Fernandes says of this latest initiative.

“We’re very excited to be partnered with CTEK2,” seconds Erin Fortin, Director of Marketing and Strategic Analytics.

Taking another look at its Asian facilities, the company is also developing ways of expanding its Custom Material Solutions to offer custom commodities to its customers. Leveraging economies of scale, VEXOS provides significant savings on high-demand materials from trusted partners with whom it has had decades-long working relationships. Such products include custom-printed circuit boards, plastics, metals, displays, power supplies, and more.

Building on this innovative model, VEXOS is establishing centers of excellence in partnership with leading CMS partners in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. These centers provide expert guidance on materials and engineering capabilities, enabling SMEs to access premium-quality products at competitive, big-buyer prices—a level of value typically reserved for large-scale enterprises. By breaking down these barriers, VEXOS empowers smaller firms to compete globally, fuels industry innovation, strengthens the global economy, and transforms traditionally exclusive industrial markets.

When it comes to the team that keeps this formidable force in motion, Fernandes’ message is positive: “We’ll continue with the approach that we’ve been taking. We’ll continue driving the value proposition that we have, which is enabling us to grow business organically and inorganically,” he says. In the same breath, Fernandes underscores how COVID-19 brought about a lasting transformation in the company’s approach to supply chain management, changing how it does business for good.

As VEXOS continues its global expansion, Fernandes hopes for the company to retain its unique character—one of warmth and camaraderie. While this leader is open about the challenges of a team spread across the planet, he points out that online platforms do help bridge the gap to a large extent. To cultivate a sense of organizational unity, the company introduced an operational excellence program to help guide teams toward synergy in effective ways. “We have a really strong management presence and communication with the global team,” says Fortin. “I think that’s an important part of our success.”

With changing horizons ever present, VEXOS maintains its sense of resilience as it continuously adapts in the face of global transience. What remains unchanged, however, is its promise of unwavering commitment—commitment to quality, evolution, and service excellence.

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