Dan's Biz Bookshelf: 'Revenge of the Tipping Point'
Marcy's Musings: Engineering Economics
Punching Out: Should You Sell Your Company to a Private Equity Firm?
Show & Tell Feature: Happy’s Highlights
March 12, 2020 | Happy Holden, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
I traveled to San Diego for IPC APEX EXPO 2020. The sky is clear and blue, the seagulls are hungry, and it’s warm! It was 28°F when I left Grand Rapids, Michigan, for California. Overall, it was a very well-attended and successful show.
Siemens’ Smart Factory Forum
I spent all day Monday at the Siemens’ Smart Factory Forum. This was an excellent program, as Siemens has been in this business for a long time. What Siemens wanted to tell us about was how they are integrating their acquisition of Valor/Mentor into the Siemens “Big Picture.” There wasn’t a lot of new information for me, but there were a lot of details of what Siemens is selling for electronics smart factories.
Siemens presenters opened with obligatory Industry 4.0 opportunities. Next, they shared the company’s definition of what that is and how it will affect your business. Then, it was on to the products and applications, as well as the connectivity and benefits.
Lastly, they had a customer share their case study of how they did it, and the benefits they gained from their investments. In Siemens’ case, they selected Computrol, an EMS provider of high-mix, high-reliability SMT assembly for mission-critical aerospace and medical electronics. In particular, they are now reporting:
• Reduced NPI time
• Reduced process preparation for recipe generation
• Increased material turnover
• Increased equipment utilization
• Reduced maintenance and unplanned downtime of equipment
• Reduced test dropout
Overall, it was an informative day, and I am sure we will see more of this material in Siemens’ papers and videos at other trade shows.
Show Highlights
The IPC APEX EXPO keynote by Burt Rutan was excellent. The entire hour was way too short, and Burt got a standing ovation when he finished. You can read a much more detailed account of the keynote in this issue. Fortunately, Burt spent 90 minutes in the I-Connect007 booth after his keynote, revealing more stories and answering more questions. That interview will be available very soon!
I spent the rest of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday attending technical paper presentations, IPC Committee meetings, and walking the floor reviewing the exhibits. For me, the important meetings on the evolution of IPC-2581 (DPMX) and IPC-2591 (CFX) were held on Monday and Tuesday.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the 2020 issue of Real Time With Show & Tell Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Intervala Hosts Employee Car and Motorcycle Show, Benefit Nonprofits
08/27/2024 | IntervalaIntervala hosted an employee car and motorcycle show, aptly named the Vala-Cruise and it was a roaring success! Employees had the chance to show off their prized wheels, and it was incredible to see the variety and passion on display.
KIC Honored with IPC Recognition for 25 Years of Membership and Contributions to Electronics Manufacturing Industry
06/24/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, is proud to announce that it has been recognized by IPC for 25 years of membership and significant contributions to electronics manufacturing.
Boeing Starliner Spacecraft Completes Successful Crewed Docking with International Space Station
06/07/2024 | BoeingNASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams successfully docked Boeing's Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), about 26 hours after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
KIC’s Miles Moreau to Present Profiling Basics and Best Practices at SMTA Wisconsin Chapter PCBA Profile Workshop
01/25/2024 | KICKIC, a renowned pioneer in thermal process and temperature measurement solutions for electronics manufacturing, announces that Miles Moreau, General Manager, will be a featured speaker at the SMTA Wisconsin Chapter In-Person PCBA Profile Workshop.
The Drive Toward UHDI and Substrates
09/20/2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPanasonic’s Darren Hitchcock spoke with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team on the complexities of moving toward ultra HDI manufacturing. As we learn in this conversation, the number of shifting constraints relative to traditional PCB fabrication is quite large and can sometimes conflict with each other.