Hidden Cost Drivers in PCB Design

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

I recently taught a CID+ course, and if you’ve ever taken a CID or CID+ course, you know that we discuss cost adders quite a bit. When I asked the class of 15 design engineers their ideas on the biggest cost adders, the first and strongest response: the project manager.

Are you surprised by their answer? After over 40 years in the industry, I wasn’t. If you step back and look at the process of product development, you’ll see that many decisions that affect costs down the line really do take root with the project manager.

After reviewing my own experience and that of many other designers, I referenced my favorite source for defining cost adders: the IPC PCBA Checklist 17. Here you’ll find most of the cost adders that we all encounter to one degree or another. As you review the checklist and see who is responsible for many of the decisions, you’ll find it all starts with the project leader.

Everything you’ve read about the cost-saving process is controlled by the project leader’s actions; the project leader is like the chef in the kitchen.

 The engineers and designers will then limit their decisions based on the requirements set by the project leader. They become the “sous chef” in the process. The engineers and designers then set the limits and specifications in their documentation affecting purchasing, fabrication, assembly, and test. They become the “station chef” or “line chef.” That’s why the CID and CID+ classes focus so much on the design engineer’s decisions. But no one really addresses or guides the project leaders for their role in the cost saving process.

To read this entire article, which appeared in the August 2024 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.