IPC Releases Annual Electronics Industry Quality Benchmark Study

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IPC Study of Quality Benchmarks for Electronics Assembly 2015 is now available from IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries. The annual study provides data to electronics assembly companies interested in comparing their quality measurements to those of other assembly companies by company size, region and type of product.

The survey-based study addresses five major groups of manufacturing and service measurements: production, quality control, customer satisfaction, supplier performance and certification status. The survey sample includes 65 OEMs and EMS companies from the Americas, Europe and Asia with annual sales ranging from under $10 million to more than $500 million.

Respondents reported on their use of various electronics assembly test and inspection methods, including in-circuit testing (ICT), manufacturing defects analyzer (MDA), flying probe, boundary scan, automated optical inspection (AOI), X-ray inspection and final functional tests. They also reported their average test and inspection results, such as first-pass yield, defect rate in defects per million opportunities (DPMO) and yield at final inspection. Internal yields were reported for key processes, including surface mounting, wave soldering and selective soldering. Data on average cost of poor quality (COPQ) was reported for rework and scrap.

The study also reports industry production data, including median numbers of printed board assemblies and components placed, as well as the proportion of surface-mount and plated-through-hole components placed. The status of the industry’s major quality certifications received is covered. Customer satisfaction metrics such as returns and on-time delivery are also provided, in addition to supplier performance metrics for PCB and component on-time deliveries and lot rejection rate.

The data, including averages, medians and percentiles, are segmented by company size tier, by region, and by type of production including rigid PCBs, flexible circuits, rigid back planes, mechanical assembly, end products, cable and harness, and discrete wiring terminals and connectors.

New in this year’s report are demographic data on the participating companies’ production by end-use applications and IPC usage classes.

The 133-page report is free to companies that participated in the survey. It is available for sale to IPC members for $675 and to nonmembers for $1,350. For more information or to purchase the report, visit www.ipc.org/AssemblyBenchmark2015 or contact IPC's market research department at marketresearch@ipc.org.

For information on all of IPC’s market research programs, visit www.ipc.org/IndustryData.

About IPC

IPC is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,700 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.