-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueTechnical Resources
Key industry organizations–all with knowledge sharing as a part of their mission–share their technical repositories in this issue of SMT007 Magazine. Where can you find information critical to your work? Odds are, right here.
The Path Ahead
What are you paying the most attention to as we enter 2025? Find out what we learned when we asked that question. Join us as we explore five main themes in the new year.
Soldering Technologies
Soldering is the heartbeat of assembly, and new developments are taking place to match the rest of the innovation in electronics. There are tried-and-true technologies for soldering. But new challenges in packaging, materials, and sustainability may be putting this key step in flux.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
The Key to Understanding Industry 4.0: Show, Don’t Tell!
December 17, 2015 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Matties: In planning, it's really the first 15% that's the most critical, because if you get that wrong, everything is wrong. When people are planning, is it best for them to really focus on that first 15%?
Ford: It is important; if you have a mistake or a problem with that first 15%, that's what's going to kill your whole schedule. You've got to make sure that's right, so from that perspective, absolutely. We like to keep the factory going absolutely flat-out for the entire time though.
The most confusing thing that we see at the show at this time is everybody's displaying Industry 4.0 banners. Of course, machine vendors have to do this because nobody's going to buy anything today unless it's future-proof, and future-proof means being Industry 4.0 compatible. What we're saying is that you do not need to blow tens of millions of euros on replacing all of your machines in order to achieve Industry 4.0. Actually, you can implement software. Industry 4.0 is actually a software solution. We can communicate with all existing machines. For a fraction of what you would spend on new hardware, you can get all of the benefits of Industry 4.0.
Matties: It's just a different perspective.
Ford: It's exactly a different perspective. The clue's in the title: computerization. Automation was Industry 3.0. That's on the record, you know?
Matties: When we look at the recent issues that we've just done, that's exactly what it's all about.
Ford: It's amazing actually what can be done. We see a lot of resistance to embracing change; I guess it's momentum in the industry, where people have been using the same ERP systems, MES systems, machine lines and layouts, and programming practices that have been in place now for many, many years. People don't want to change them because they know that if they make a change, they introduce risk. They need to re-qualify everything. They need to investigate the effect that it has on quality. You know what? Industry 4.0 is so compelling however because that increase of productivity by 30 or 50% is so compelling. Being able to respond to the customer almost immediately. Eliminating all of your warehouses full of products that are costing investment and depreciating in value. That is so compelling, you've got to make the change.
Matties: You have to. That's the only way you're going to stay in business, ultimately.
Ford: This is it. There will be people who are on the leading edge who will start to do this and who are now making the change.
Matties: And they can sell for lower, or have more resources at the end of the day.
Ford: It's not what you do, it's how you do it. If you are there planning it out, making sure you've got the right tools to do the right things to achieve your business objectives, that's the power that gets you there successfully. Industry 4.0 is a business initiative. It's not a technical initiative. It's not just a Kaizen project to improve quality on an SMT line. It's not that. That can be included, but the focus is ultimately on delivery flexibility to the customer demand—it's a business point of view. Delivery of products to customers at the right time at a reduced price.
Matties: For the lowest cost possible.
Ford: Exactly.
Matties: What's your background, Michael?
Ford: My background is first of all in electronics, so I understand what goes on with circuit boards. Then I started in manufacturing in the mid ‘80s, specifically to support information flow within manufacturing between test and assembly, programming of SMT. I started out as a programmer, and I moved on to become an architect of computer systems solutions, and now I try to explain to people the merits of the different solution approaches that are out there.
Matties: We appreciate that and I greatly appreciate your contributions monthly.
Ford: You're very welcome.
Matties: They're highly read and they're always wonderful.
Ford: Excellent. It's great to hear that.
Matties: Good, thanks for sharing this today. This is wonderful. What a great way to depict what you're talking about because people can really understand what they're seeing here and relate to it when the cars are crashing.
Ford: It's a bit of fun, isn't it? Otherwise, when you start talking about Industry 4.0, peoples' eyes start glazing over.
Matties: Clever. Thank you very much, Michael.
Ford: You're very welcome.
Page 2 of 2Suggested Items
Mind Meld: Brian Chislea and AJ Arriaga Share Their Fascinating Experience in IPC's Mentorship Program
01/28/2025 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunityIPC’s Emerging Engineer program provides professionals an opportunity early in their careers to learn from dedicated industry volunteers participating in standards development. Two participants in the program—Brian Chislea, Dow Chemical, mentor to AJ Arriaga, Summit Interconnect—share their experiences in the program in a series of articles. We will follow them through their three years in the mentorship. This is the first in the series.
'Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators' Launched to Foster On-Device AI Innovation in the Asia-Pacific Region
12/27/2024 | Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the launch of the Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators (QAIPI) 2025 - APAC, a new initiative aimed at supporting professional developers and startups from Japan, Singapore, and South Korea to create cutting-edge on-device AI solutions across diverse sectors.
CACI Receives Two DoD Nunn-Perry Awards for Advancing Technology through its Small Business Protégés
08/28/2024 | BUSINESS WIRECACI International Inc. announced that it won two Nunn-Perry Awards for excellence as part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Mentor Protégé Program.
RTX's Raytheon Awarded Mentor Protégé Agreements to Develop Operational AI
07/29/2024 | RTXRaytheon, an RTX business, was awarded two strategic Mentor-Protégé Agreement initiatives from the Department of the Navy Office of Small Business Programs to support the development of operational Artificial Intelligence for Department of Defense platforms and programs.
Incap Engineer Mentors High School Girls In Stem Leadership Program
01/22/2024 | IncapIn a concerted effort to encourage young girls to pursue careers in STEM, Alicia Kelley, a Program Engineer at Incap US, is serving as a mentor in an initiative that targets high school girls with a passion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).