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Are you ready to explore the cutting-edge advancements shaping the electronics manufacturing industry? The May 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine is packed with insights, innovations, and expert perspectives that you won’t want to miss.
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The Rise of Collaborative Intelligence in Manufacturing
May 22, 2024 | Jennifer Davis, Arch SystemsEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

Every modern manufacturer grapples with a common challenge: extracting actionable insights from the ever-growing sea of operational data. The challenge of the data deluge isn’t just overwhelming; it coincides with a broader shift in automation needs. While traditional forms of automation, such as robots, remain vital, the focus is expanding to encompass automating the very intelligence needed to run a factory efficiently. As a result, a new generation of tools and technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) is beginning to transform the way factories operate.
Designed to unlock the true potential of data, AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of data, identify hidden patterns, predict potential issues, and empower manufacturers to make data-driven decisions and optimize production processes in real-time.
However, AI's effectiveness hinges on high-quality, readily utilizable data. Manufacturers increasingly demand solutions that not only leverage AI but also seamlessly integrate with existing data infrastructure. Because of this, we’re seeing an exciting trend emerge: solution providers are increasingly forging partnerships to bridge data silos and unlock the full potential of AI for their clients. This collaborative ecosystem holds the key to accelerating the path toward manufacturing excellence.
While collaboration is crucial to accelerating that path, manufacturers must first have a digitalization plan, one that includes a specialized approach to data as well as alignment and commitment from internal teams to the successful application of it.
From Data to Actionable Insights: The Power of Analytics
Modern factories generate a wealth of data from machines, sensors, and software systems. But the true power lies in transforming the data into actionable insights to drive tangible improvements. This requires a seamless information flow, from rich machine data to insightful dashboards and, ultimately, actionable steps on the shop floor.
Here's a breakdown of the ideal data-to-action cycle:
- Rich machine data: Capture comprehensive data from all aspects of production.
- Standardization and brokering: Ensure data standardization through a central broker, allowing for seamless integration across different systems.
- Cloud analytics: Leverage the power of cloud computing for advanced analytics and AI model training.
- Insightful dashboards: Present insights and key performance indicators (KPIs) in a user-friendly and visually appealing manner. This allows potential bottlenecks, equipment failures, quality issues, etc., to be identified in real-time.
- Intelligent actions: Bring corrective actions to the surface, complete with AI-guided playbook recommendations, and enable annotation by factory experts—allowing excellence anywhere in the organization to become excellence everywhere.
Continue reading this article in the May 2024 issue of SMT007 Magazine.
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IBM Officially Closes Deal, Acquiring DataStax
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Standards: The Roadmap for Your Ideal Data Package
05/29/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineIn this interview, IPC design instructor Kris Moyer explains how standards can help you ensure that your data package has all the information your fabricator and assembler need to build your board the way you designed it, allowing them to use their expertise. As Kris says, even with IPC standards, there’s still an art to conveying the right information in your documentation.
Driving Innovation: Traceability in PCB Production
05/29/2025 | Kurt Palmer -- Column: Driving InnovationTraceability across the entire printed circuit board production process is an increasingly important topic among established manufacturers and companies considering new PCB facilities. The reasons are apparent: Automatic loading of part programs, connection with MES systems and collection of production data, and compliance with Industry 4.0 requirements
Smart Automation: AI—Revolutionizing Inspection in Electronics Manufacturing
05/27/2025 | Josh Casper -- Column: Smart AutomationArtificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a staple in our personal and professional lives. In electronics manufacturing, integrating AI to combat common inefficiencies and to contextualize data will open new doors into how we supplement our traditional processes. In some specific areas of the electronics manufacturing process, integration of AI on the factory floor is already having a tremendous effect. One such area is PCBA inspection, particularly 3D automated optical inspection (AOI) systems.
Standard of Excellence: The Role of Technology in Enhancing the Customer Experience
05/28/2025 | Anaya Vardya -- Column: Standard of ExcellenceMaya Angelou said, “People will not remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.” This makes me think about the importance of delivering an exceptional customer experience. Businesses that embrace technology to streamline interactions, personalize services, and create seamless engagements set new benchmarks in customer satisfaction. Integrating advanced technologies into customer service improves efficiency, enhances engagement, fosters loyalty, and drives business success.