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From the Fire: EMS Recovery
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Art Rutledge, Fawn Electronics
In December 2005, the team at Fawn Electronics Company received news no one wants to hear: the manufacturing facility had burned down and was a total loss. Worse, because Fawn was an EMS provider, the impact of a lost facility extended beyond the company itself.
Two years later, Fawn moved from an interim facility occupied immediately after the fire into a newly completed facility, custom-built to support the complex needs of an EMS provider. This move gave company management the ability to redesign the business literally from the ground up. This article looks at some key decisions made in that process and the rationale that drove those choices.
In recovering from the fire, management chose to make plant layout, facility requirement definition, and equipment acquisition choices based on a vision for an enhanced business model rather than simply replicating prior choices. This emphasized enhancing process flexibility, reducing changeover time, and increasing placement capability.
Equipment choices were made immediately. Previously, equipment was selected as the company grew, based on available technology, budget considerations, and customer needs at the time. Equipment acquisition considered a change in cleaning, driven by growing requirements for IPC Class 3 assembly and increased conformal coating activity. The old facility was largely no-clean, while the new facility includes in-line cleaning.
Rebuilding
Some key considerations in SMT line selection were the ability to place smaller parts and an assumption that equipment platforms needed to support business growth and increased PCB assembly (PCBA) complexity. Fawn’s new placement equipment maximizes flexibility and speed of changeover in a high-mix/low- to mid-volume production environment and is capable of placing 01005 components. Automated optical inspection (AOI) and BGA rework/repair capabilities also were enhanced. Ultra-low-humidity storage capability for moisture-sensitive devices (MSDs) was increased for RoHS-compliant needs.
Building site selection and design also reflected some changes. Initial construction did not include a fire sprinkler system. While the county did make improvements over time, the water line was still in the planning phase at the time of the fire in 2005. A key criterion in site selection for the new facility was that the location needed to have adequate water infrastructure to support a fire sprinkler system. Additionally, issues such as economic development incentives, proximity to major highways, and existing associate commute patterns were considered.
The new facility was constructed at the Nashville Business Center in Nash County, N.C., located near Raleigh on a major interstate. When site selection was announced late in 2006, Fawn’s associates were transported from the interim facility in Wilson, N.C. to attend a groundbreaking ceremony. A tour of nearby shopping and restaurant facilities targeted employee retention during relocation.
Figure 1. The exterior of Fawn’s new building, completed in November 2007.
In designing the new facility, the management team had the benefit of understanding what worked in the old facility, as well as a learning curve of quick layout in the temporary facility. Design changes included the overall shape of the building, establishing a footprint that allowed line configurations to easily change over time. One of the biggest problems in the old building was its shape, which had a limited width. This was a constraint to the length of continuous flow lines. The goal was to create an open, flexible floor that is more square-shaped, with a production area that offers maximum flexibility in production line layouts.
Figure 2. Remains of Fawn’s 2005 fire.
The new facility is 10% larger than the previous one. The building exterior also is different. It is not a typical metal building, but instead uses pre-insulated metal panels that comprise a steel shell with an insulated core. The roof has a higher grade of insulation to increase energy efficiency and improve sound control. To further enhance environmental friendliness, any water used in production processes is continuously recycled. Only restroom water goes down the drain. There are also automated shutoffs in faucets and flush valves.
Figure 3. Riggers move a reflow oven across conductive VCT flooring using a hydrofoil-like dolley that “floats” the reflow oven on a cushion of air to avoid tile damage.
Fawn’s team added more clear space in the design. The old building had columns on the floor every 25 feet. The new building has a wide bay structure with support columns only every 50 feet. Adequate lighting is a major concern in the electronic assembly process. Task strip lighting was used in the old plant, which meant that any line move also required a lighting move. The company is now using T5 high-efficiency fluorescents, a relatively new option in lighting. Installed 16-feet high, they flood the entire area with light.
For ESD protection, previously, a matting system was used. The new building uses conductive VCT tiling on the entire production floor. While the flooring system added to the construction cycle time, increased investment, and drove a requirement for air glide systems (Figure 3) versus forklifts during move-in, it offers greater flexibility and easier maintenance. The shipping, receiving, bulk storage, and central stocking areas use conductive wax, not tile, allowing forklifts in stockroom/warehouse activities.
Another change was a focus on minimizing power drops from the ceiling. Single power, air, and vacuum line drops running under equipment lines are installed. Air lines feature quick-disconnect fittings for maximum flexibility. A bar-joist roof system supported installation of some equipment in the ceiling.
In the older facility, data lines evolved as new technology came on-line. The new facility’s data-line strategy uses fiber-optic hubs on the manufacturing floor to allow growth and EDI/data-exchange capability. Wireless networking also is used. Secured storage was increased for the stockroom to support customer requirements.
While constructing a larger facility, Fawn prepared the site for future additions. An area allowing for a 50% increase in size, adjacent to the building, was graded during facility construction to enable rapid expansion. Customer and associate needs were considered in the building design as well, including a glass-enclosed cafeteria and sheltered outdoor dining area, and windows between conference/training areas and the production floor.
Some design elements and best practices didn’t change. Materials always had been stocked near point-of-use and the strategy in the new facility continues this practice. Paced conveyor lines for drop load components and subassemblies also were kept. Continuous flow concepts are used in each production process. Additionally, the company continues to have a segregated production area, which allocates factories within factories for each of three major processes. All thru-hole and surface mount board-level assembly operations are in one area, with space allocated for growth. Additional areas are focused for electromechanical/wire assembly and final assembly/integration. There has been a continuing effort to minimize non-value activity tied to movement of materials or work in process (WIP) between process areas.
The Move
In planning the move, the team started with a master schedule for building construction. In the early construction stages, progress was tracked with Gantt charts and meetings. In the last quarter, on-site weekly meetings were held with the general contractor, all of the subcontractors, and the moving contractor.
The move was scheduled in phases to make it transparent to customers. Move-in involved one phase per week. Equipment was taken down over weekends with a 1-2 day move-in of equipment and a processes-validation phase the rest of each week. Teams of key contractors supported the effort on a literal day-by-day basis. Air/power were pre-installed and then connected by the contractor support team as the equipment was set in place. Technicians performed the most sensitive equipment teardowns and installation/calibration. Plant layout diagrams were color-coded by phase of installation to clarify support group activity planning.
Some finished-goods inventory was built to cover move downtime. MRP was analyzed and material was scheduled in ahead of time. The move was staged near the holidays, because that has been a traditionally slower business time. Contractors who supported the move to the interim facility were selected wherever possible for the new facility.
Conclusion
In retrospect, one positive result of the 2005 fire is a more efficient manufacturing facility positioned for future growth. The management team took advantage of the opportunity to rethink every aspect of the operation from the ground up. For those times in the past when an associate remarked, “If we had the chance to do this over, we would do it differently,” Fawn was given that opportunity. Throughout the rebuilding process, the team sought ways to improve throughput, increase efficiency, decrease total cost of manufacturing, and provide best-in-class equipment and services. The path to this point was not easy and the credit for this positive recovery belongs to Fawn’s associates, suppliers, and customers who all worked together to turn a disaster into a giant leap forward.
Art Rutledge, president, Fawn Electronics Company, may be contacted at (410) 308-9239; art@fawn-ind.com.
Follow the story of Fawn’s recovery at smtonline.com, search ID # 276225.
Software in 2008
As we enter the new year, companies are releasing custom software for equipment to design to facility management. Following are some of the product launches to kick off 2008.
Adeon Software House released its next-generation CXInsight for design and production data management at EMS facilities. An e_collaboration function enables PLM and OEM integration. Adeon extended release-to-production to include a controlled feedback option for redesigns. www.cxinsight.com.
Taking a broader view of facilities management, NetBooks premiered its Web-based business management system for small businesses. The suite covers sales, customer, and vendor relationship management; inventory and production tracking; shipping; and other tasks. Data is protected in a secure hosting facility with redundant infrastructure. www.netbooks.com.
Altium Limited added 3D PCB visualization to its Altium Designer, release 6.8. The tool allows designers to rotate and flip PCBs, navigate around components, zoom in on the bare board, and visually inspect inner layers. The graphics portray textures, colors, and surface finishes. Altium claims this will verify connectivity and parts and text positioning, and capture fabrication details for documentation and instructions. www.altium.com.
CADSTAR 10 from Zuken groups intelligent functions for schematic, library, and PCB design. The latest version of the design software allows tighter integration with FPGA tools and an alternative schematic front-end solution, E3.logic. Version control starts at the parts and components level, and users can design detailed layer stacks for buried and blind vias. www.zuken.com.
Another PCB design option, from Sunstone Circuits, PCB123 version 3.0 arrives with real-time, bi-directional layout and schematic views, a customization kit, and 3D fly-through viewing. A dynamic BOM generates and updates during the design process. Sunstone promotes fewer design spins, better access to PCB manufacturing services, and shorter prototype times with 3.0. www.sunstone.com.
Equipment suppliers are promoting their machine’s software capabilities in 2008, as evidenced by Speedprint Technology’s release of 3Di, a proprietary operating interface for its stencil printers. The interface brings more graphical interaction for setup and processing. Product and process parameters are viewable in 3D, and the PCB can be selected in 3D. Job files save modifications. www.speedprint-tech.com.
BTU International added parts identification software to all its Pyramax reflow ovens, supplanting paper manuals. The software will help lower cost of ownership, according to the company. The ovens use a Windows-based operating software. www.btu.com.
CAD-specific programs are making news as well. Numerical Innovations LLC launched the advanced CAD exchange (ACE) Translator 2008 as a bridge to fix flaws that occur when translating CAD data to EDA formats for high-resolution solder masks, etc., requiring Gerber-type files. Undetected translation flaws lead to poor arc formation, missing void areas, and open polygons. www.numericalinnovations.com.
In interest of supporting all CAD formats with one library documentation source, PCB Libraries, Inc., created the LP Wizard for McCAD. Library parts comply with IPC land pattern and surface mount design requirements. The Wizard reportedly reduces library-part build time and helps users create manufacturing-compliant PCBs. It includes 13,000 McCAD parts pre-installed. www.pcblibraries.com.
CADParts & Consulting entered a VAR agreement with CadPlex Software LLC to sell and support Schematic Symbol Modeler tools, which import symbols in any format and export them to a user’s target format. It can build complex heterogeneous or asymmetrical symbols faster and more accurately than previous solutions, and is a companion tool to land-pattern generators. www.cadpartsusa.com.