Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Comparing Apples to Apples

by Sandra Ruroede

Recently, I went to a store to try on wedding dresses. I tried on eight dresses that were all the same size. Of the eight dresses, six fit and the other two did not. In fact, I would say that one of the dresses was approximately two "sizes" too small, yet the size on the tag was identical to the other seven dresses. The sales associate explained that wedding dresses tend to run smaller than regular clothes. Hmmm. That didn't explain why two of the dresses didn't fit while the other six did. And it brought up another question: Why are there no standard clothes sizes?

Why do wedding dresses "tend to run smaller"? Smaller than what? If there are no industry-accepted standards, how can the customer shop in a time-effective and cost-effective manner?

Why do I bring up clothes standards in an electronics magazine? Simple: Right now there are no accepted industry standards for placement machines, reflow ovens, inspection machines, etc. Customers are not obtaining all of the information needed to make educated decisions. And most customers pay a lot more for SMT capital equipment than they do for clothing.

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