The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide

May 04, 2017

If It's My Data, I Can Do What I Want, Right?

In the light of the new IoT philosophies that are rapidly becoming the expectation, the problem of flexibility versus risk is resolved on the lower level, as IoT establishes the transfer and availability of data everywhere without the need for "hacking" into internal system database structures.

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March 24, 2017

The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide: One Size Fits All?

In the same way that we are not all driving the same car, have the same phones, or use the same SMT equipment in our factories, we are unlikely to all end up using a single smart solution or IoT technology. Decisions on automation, IoT technologies, and software computerizations need to be based on merit because the choices vary considerably.

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January 06, 2017

Smart for Smart’s Sake, Part 3: Unification & Traceability

In the continuation of his "Smart for Smart's Sake" series, Michael Ford writes about another opportunity offered by the move toward digital manufacturing—the complete traceability of the operation. Now, traceability for electronics is defined by a dedicated standard in IPC-1782, which is designed to bring the appropriate levels of traceability without any net cost to the operation, in a smart way.

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November 25, 2016

Smart for Smart's Sake, Part 2: Material Management

Data collection in the factory is not just about machine interfaces and gathering data from related assembly processes, it is also about transactional events that directly affect the production operation. In the second part of this series, Michael Ford looks at how Lean supply-chain logistics are an essential component of a "smart factory".

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September 04, 2015

The 'New Face' of Automotive Traceability

A quiet revolution is taking place within the automotive electronics industry, driven by a collection of technology advances, the need for further energy efficiency, and ever enhanced safety.

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July 13, 2015

Industry 4.0: Who Benefits?

After many cycles of ROI justification have occurred already in most PCB assembly manufacturing companies, people are realizing that innovation and investment in new systems may affect them in ways that are less than optimum, resulting in certain groups within the organization resisting pretty much every major innovation. Along comes Industry 4.0, which, whether fully and properly understood or not, will certainly trigger a significant amount of “automated” objection from the shop floor.

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May 20, 2015

To Be Lean is to Be Human

The concepts related to Lean thinking continue to be interpreted in different ways by different people. Relating what happens in real life with principles of Lean as applied to manufacturing can serve to demystify the subject, opening up appreciation and acceptance for the adoption of new Lean ideas in a way that is simple and non-threatening.

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March 25, 2015

Stop the SMT Conspiracy, Part 2: Abduction

Tours of SMT factories sometimes make Michael Ford feel like he is in an episode of The XFiles. In Part 1, he focused on information about processes that were often out of this world. In this article, he focuses on a case of abduction.

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December 24, 2014

The Future of SMT: Welcome to the 4th Dimension

A revolution in PCB-based electronics manufacturing is about to happen, driven by the same underlying principles behind the more general Industry 4.0 innovation currently discussed in Germany. This will act not only to drive a new wave of manufacturing competitiveness in the market, but will also bring home production traditionally regarded as being more cost-effective from countries with lower labor costs. The catalyst for these changes lies in the 4th dimension.

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October 29, 2014

The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide: Stop the SMT Conspiracy, Part I

Ford writes, "When I take a tour of an SMT factory it feels like an episode of 'The X-Files.' I'm not referring to slimy silver life forms that lurk at the bottom of wave solder machines. I would not even dream of mentioning deviant behavior such as the use of AOI machines as photocopiers, production documentation systems to make wedding invitations, or even those people who use ICT fixtures as a strange form of acupuncture."

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July 02, 2014

The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide: Is It OK To Be Human?

After being stagnant for many years and adopting production principles based on process qualification and repeatability, can automotive find a new way forward, with quality assurance and cost competitiveness, but also with flexibility? Is it the risk of human error that has prevented the industry from moving forward toward highly reactive processes, such as those mandated by Industry 4.0?

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April 30, 2014

The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide: Expanding Your Comfort Zone

In the engineering world, there is increasing pressure to be a specialist, especially in technical roles. Does this intense focus on specialisation work against us, however, when we consider the wider requirements of the business? How can we bring added value to specialist roles without getting distracted from specific objectives?

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March 05, 2014

The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide: Why Are ERP and MES So Limited in Electronics?

Although the price for enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing execution systems (MES) tools can cause sticker shock, especially considering the IT muscle needed for their continuous operation, the critical measure of return on investment is compelling--except in the case of electronics manufacturing.

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January 22, 2014

The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide: How to Survive the Teen Years

Having survived the initial boom and bust in the early 2000s, people now make decisions and prioritisations in favour of technology, and in particular, electronics. Creating and delivering technology-based products is a challenge, as demand is there, but price remains extremely sensitive. We're in the midst of a "teenage" market: A market with little money, but heaps of expectation.

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September 18, 2013

The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide: Dropping the BOM

What ends up executing as a bill of materials on the shop floor is the result of several complex and often manual processes, some of which will corrupt the BOM's data integrity. Who takes responsibility for what is actually produced as compared to what the design intended?

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July 10, 2013

The Essential Pioneer's Survival Guide: Manufacturing Software: Make or Buy?

From a business perspective, a significant software purchase for the production area can be a difficult decision. Top-heavy systems such suffer from the perception that only a fraction of the functionality will ever be used, so why pay for all of it? Attempts by some lower level solution providers within SMT production have been less than successful, leaving a bitter taste for some.

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November 13, 2013

Production Automation Revolution: Are We Nearly There Yet?

How great would it be to take a product blueprint and simply command the production facility to "make it for me now!" Will we ever get to the stage where the production operation has the ability to reply and say, "Sure, I'll figure out how to do that and have it to you within the hour?" We may be closer than we think.

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January 22, 2014

How to Survive the Teen Years

Having survived the initial boom and bust in the early 2000s, people now make decisions and prioritisations in favour of technology, and in particular, electronics. Creating and delivering technology-based products is a challenge, as demand is there, but price remains extremely sensitive. We're in the midst of a "teenage" market: A market with little money, but heaps of expectation.

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March 05, 2014

Why Are ERP and MES So Limited in Electronics?

Although the price for enterprise resource planning (ERP) and manufacturing execution systems (MES) tools can cause sticker shock, especially considering the IT muscle needed for their continuous operation, the critical measure of return on investment is compelling--except in the case of electronics manufacturing.

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April 30, 2014

Expanding Your Comfort Zone

In the engineering world, there is increasing pressure to be a specialist, especially in technical roles. Does this intense focus on specialisation work against us, however, when we consider the wider requirements of the business? How can we bring added value to specialist roles without getting distracted from specific objectives?

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July 02, 2014

Is It OK To Be Human?

After being stagnant for many years and adopting production principles based on process qualification and repeatability, can automotive find a new way forward, with quality assurance and cost competitiveness, but also with flexibility? Is it the risk of human error that has prevented the industry from moving forward toward highly reactive processes, such as those mandated by Industry 4.0?

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September 10, 2014

Reshoring Made Simple

Companies are realizing the pros of offshoring are no longer what once they were and that the cons are becoming more significant. Is reshoring really commercially viable? This reshoring opportunity, coordinated with the seemingly unstoppable current market trends, can either be taken advantage of now, or if delayed, could represent the final loss of onshore manufacturing opportunity.

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October 29, 2014

Stop the SMT Conspiracy, Part I

Michael Ford writes, "When I take a tour of an SMT factory it feels like being in an episode of "The X-Files." I'm not talking horror stories about glowing green men, nor am I referring to slimy silver life forms that lurk at the bottom of wave solder machines. I would not even dream of mentioning deviant behavior such as the use of AOI machines as photocopiers, production documentation systems to make wedding invitations, or even those people who use ICT fixtures as a strange form of acupuncture."

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October 30, 2014

Stop the SMT Conspiracy, Pt. I

Pointing out a line of machines, we are told that these are the very latest technology, the fastest, most accurate, and reliable models available, a significant investment intended to enable the company to satisfy the most demanding of customer needs.

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