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Suggested Items

How Faster Changeovers Unlock Production Capacity

07/08/2026 | Nolan Johnson, SMT007 Magazine
Traditionally, EMS companies have focused their continuous improvement efforts on machine speeds, placement accuracy, yield enhancement, and labor productivity. Yet across much of the industry, one of the largest contributors to lost capacity remains largely hidden in plain sight. We’re talking, of course, about setup time optimization. High-mix production is increasing even as product lifecycles shrink, meaning changeovers occur more frequently than ever, resulting in a proportionally larger amount of time lost to setup activities. Inefficient setup processes cost hundreds of hours of annual production capacity, and this lost time can mean the difference between a modest profit and self-funded company expansion.

ERP, Automation, and Maturity: A Systems Framework for Manufacturers

07/08/2026 | Scott Ryan, Cetec ERP
One unique opportunity for ERP consultants is to see how manufacturers operate. They can see how businesses adopt, stretch, patch, or replace systems to manage growth, customer requirements, inefficiency, or pressure on the bottom line. The insight is important to what business maturity looks like. ERP matters because it becomes the foundation for shared processes and data. It organizes how information moves, departments interact, work is measured, and how well an SMB manufacturer can scale.

The Government Circuit: New Council Now Helps Shape Policy Decisions in the Electronics Supply Chain

07/07/2026 | Chris Mitchell -- Column: The Government Circuit
I’m regularly on Capitol Hill, talking about the foundational importance of PCBs and other essential pieces of the electronics supply chain. I find that policymakers work hard to make informed decisions that affect our $6 trillion industry, yet they don’t always have a complete picture of how interconnected our industry has become. A component decision in Arizona can ripple through a PCB line in Guadalajara, a materials plant in Penang, and ultimately the manufacturers that depend on both. That’s why the global electronics industry needs a unified, coordinated voice to help policymakers understand those connections before decisions are made, so policies strengthen the entire electronics supply chain rather than one segment at the expense of another. 

It’s Only Common Sense: The Underrated Business Strategy of Joy

07/06/2026 | Dan Beaulieu -- Column: It's Only Common Sense
Somewhere along the way, businesses have become far too serious for its own good. We’ve started believing that exhaustion is proof of commitment, being stressed means importance, and that the more pressure we feel, the more productive we are. Entire workplaces have slowly lost their sense of fun, creativity, and humanity because our leaders became convinced that joy somehow distracts from performance instead of fueling it. I think that is one of the biggest mistakes modern companies make.

July SMT007 Magazine Focuses on Setup Optimization

07/01/2026 | I-Connect007 Editorial Team
The fastest way to improve your uptime is by reducing setup time. That means transforming setup from a machine-centered activity into a logistics-centered process where materials, feeders, programs, and tooling arrive at the line fully validated before the previous job ends. The result is faster changeovers, less labor waste, and greater efficiency through single-minute exchange of die (SMED). In the July 2026 issue of SMT007 Magazine, we examine how manufacturers are applying SMED principles to reduce downtime, increase throughput, and improve overall equipment effectiveness.
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