Latest Articles

Is Your Manufacturing Facility Now the Weak Link?

If your manufacturing facility is the weakest link in your chain, all of the hard work put in beforehand—design, marketing, sales, purchasing—will have been wasted. This article looks at three signs your manufacturing facility could be dragging the rest of your company down, and highlights how outsourcing to an EMS provider can help.

Mentor Graphics’ PADS Platform Bridges Design and Manufacturing

At PCB West, Barry Matties spoke with Paul Musto about Mentor’s PADS environment and their introduction of scalable software tools to help design better boards, from the enterprise level down to the entry level and hobbyists. They also discussed the evolution of the design process infrastructure in North America vs. Asia, and what design engineers should focus on to increase their value.

Achieving the Smart Factory Vision

James Liu, director of Standardization and Electronics Manufacturing at the Smart Factory Institute of the China Science and Technology Automation Alliance, talks about helping small- and medium-sized companies transform their production into smart factories. He explains the challenges these companies face, and the need for a free, open interface to connect disparate electronics manufacturing equipment and systems on the factory floor.

Leadership Toward Greater Meaning

In the last decade, sustainability has moved up the priority agenda of business leaders tasked to shape their companies' goals. Strategies are now being set up to provide not only profitability and financial growth but, more importantly, ensure that the people that are involved, the communities that these companies serve, and the products that they build are actually entwined in making the world a better place.

Is Your Sales Growth Outstripping Your Current Manufacturing Capacity?

Picture the scene: you are an OEM enjoying healthy sales growth—business is booming as you win new customers and sell more to the ones you already have. However, there's just one problem – you don’t have the manufacturing capacity to accommodate your growth, whether because your factory is too small, you are lacking crucial equipment, or you simply don't have enough staff. Here's what you can do.

The Make-up of a Great Leader

Knoll Evangelista EMS Components Assembly Inc. speaks about leadership, motivation, and how great leaders navigate the challenges to bring their companies to success. He also shares his insights regarding best strategies in managing millennials.

Inspiring Others: The Key to Leadership

In an interview with SMT Magazine, Jean-Marc Peallat, vice president of global sales at Vi Technology, shares his thoughts on the role of a leader and how it differs from that of a manager. He also discusses how management has evolved over the past decade, and why inspiration is the key to leadership.

Recruiting and Maintaining a High-Quality Manufacturing Workforce

In almost all industries, the people are companies' biggest competitive advantage. This article looks at strategies to develop an effective way to recruit and retain high-quality team members in labor markets where experienced manufacturing talent is in short supply.

Industry 4.0 and the Circular Economy

There has been much written recently about Industry 4.0, and rightly so as it's a huge and far-reaching concept that will have an enormous impact on our design and manufacturing industries in the coming years. Even so, Industry 4.0 is just part of an idea that is much, much bigger; something known as the "circular economy".

Building Bridges with Cross-Cultural Teams

Understanding behavior patterns driven by the cultures of team members, having discussions about differences and similarities, and creating an environment where people are comfortable discussing their concerns can go a long way to eliminating cultural conflict and building stronger teams.

Do the High-Paid Managers in Your Organization Add Value?

The widening gap between industry need and academic preparation has an adverse effect on the ability of a company to compete in the global manufacturing marketplace—and all competitive roads in any capitalist free market business ultimately lead to a cost versus contribution analysis. This article discuss another important cost driver—the cost of management and leadership, what a company gets for that money.

New Column: Millennials in Manufacturing

New columnist Davina McDonnell will be writing on the challenges millennials face in the workplace, and the unique dynamic between millennials and the industry veterans who manage them.

Defining a Leader

One could define a leader as an individual leading a group of individuals towards a clearly defined goal. This article highlights some of the key leadership principles, such as self-evaluation, skills, knowing your employees, and setting standards by leading by example, that would help steer a company in this industry to success.

Koh Young Talks AOI Landscape and Trends

During the recent NEPCON South China tradeshow in Shenzhen, Thomas Lau, sales manager for Southeast Asia at Koh Young Technology Inc., speaks with I-Connect007's Stephen Las Marias about the challenges and developments happening in the AOI sector.

How to Successfully Manage the OEM/CEM Partnership

A successful outsourcing initiative is built on trust and communication and both partners—the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and a contract electronics manufacturer (CEM)—need to be clear on what their own roles are, in order to realize the innumerable benefits.

Choosing an EMS Partner

So many times we hear that an EMS company and their potential new customer want to have a partnership where each side can have a very open dialogue of what is going well and what needs improvement. At the end of these discussions, both sides typically leave feeling warm and fuzzy, and ready to hold hands into the sunset. Then, the rubber hits the road and you start dealing with the real world.

How to Evaluate a Used Machine

There are some cases where you can get a good deal on used SMT assembly equipment and save some money over a new machine. This article will help guide you in your search and give you some tips to avoid getting a raw deal or actually spending more than new by the time you get that bargain acquisition in good working order.

One World, One Industry: Voting—A Civic Duty and Industry Opportunity

On Tuesday, November 8, more than 240 million people in the United States will have the opportunity to go to the polls and vote, make their voices heard in government, and influence the direction of public policy for years to come. Much of the world is closely watching with interest in this major U.S. election.

Leadership Evolution in a Changing Marketplace

To continue to grow and remain competitive amid broad systemic change such as the growing number of millennials in the workplace, the globalization of both customers and competitors, increased uncertainty in the marketplace, and increased demands for flexibility, leaders must continue to evolve their own leadership skills and approaches, and make better use of the talent they hire.

Real Time with…SMTAI: Dimation's Same-Day EMS Service

Edward Knutson, president and founder of EMS firm Dimation, speaks with I-Connect007’s Judy Warner about his company’s quick-turn EMS service: from a turnaround time of one to two days. In fact, if customers bring in their parts and board, they can even expect their product within the same day.

What Makes a Great Leader?

Leadership encompasses the ability of an individual to lead or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations in the accomplishment of common goals. In many industries, great leadership is required now more than ever as companies face a myriad of challenges such as globalization, uncertainties in global markets, and increased demand for flexibility.

Real Time with... SMTAI: Mentor and Kulicke and Soffa Discuss Partnership

Michael Ford of Mentor Graphics and Tom Kramer of Kulicke and Soffa speak with I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy about their partnership and synergy, and how they enable customers to become flexible and productive even with high-mix operations.

Smart for Smart’s Sake, Part 1

In his previous article, Michael Ford wrote about the various historical methods of collecting data from shop-floor processes, and how it compares to the fully normalized approach of OML, where data from any machine operation can be expressed in a single interoperable language. This article discusses the next layer of activity—how the data collected is to be used for asset utilization and productivity.

Defect Features Detected by Acoustic Emission for Flip-Chip CGA/FCBGA/PBGA/FPBGA Packages and Assemblies

The C-SAM (C-mode scanning acoustic microscopy) is the preferred method for finding "air gaps" such as delamination, cracks, voids, and porosity. This paper presents evaluations performed on various advanced packages/assemblies especially flip-chip die version of ball grid array/column grid array (BGA/CGA) using C-SAM equipment.

Is PCB Assembly Really the Best Entry Point into Outsourcing?

By outsourcing your PCB assembly, you will free up more time and resources to direct your focus elsewhere. However, the PCBA is just one component within your final product; you still have a lot of work to do once your EMS partner has delivered the completed boards to you.

Institute of Circuit Technology Hayling Island Seminar 2016

In recent years, the Hayling Island Seminar has become established as the most popular date on the Institute of Circuit Technology calendar and, as expected, the 2016 event attracted a large gathering of industry professionals to the south coast of England to share knowledge and experience and to discuss current developments.

Real Time with… SMTAI: Making Your Shop Floor More Intelligent

Mitch DeCaire, channel sales manager at Cogiscan, speaks with I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy about how real-time data collection from the factory floor can help customers improve their quality and overall productivity.

Real Time with… SMTAI: Merger Puts Libra Industries in Driver's Seat

W. Scott Fillebrown, CTO of EMS firm Libra Industries, talks with I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy about Libra’s acquisition of ACD last year, their migration to common platforms and systems, and how their latest equipment installations have helped improved efficiency and throughput in their manufacturing lines.

Real Time with... SMTAI: Gary Tanel on His Founder's Award, SMTA Benefits

Gary Tanel, vice president of business development at McDonald Technologies and president of the SMTA Dallas Chapter, speaks with I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy about his SMTA Founder's Award—the highest honor given by SMTA.

10 Meaningless Statistics EMS Providers List on their Websites

In an attempt to stand out from other EMS providers, we include a range of statistics on our websites. We assume OEMs find these helpful and use them to make decisions on whether or not we could be the right partner to outsource to. But are they really the key important statistics to feature?

Real Time with... SMTAI: Mirtec’s Brian D’Amico Discusses Benefits of 3D Inspection Technologies

Brian D'Amico, president of Mirtec, discusses with I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy why more and more manufacturers are adopting 3D inspection technologies, such as 3D AOI and 3D SPI systems. He also mentions the increasing use of very small components—such as the 0201s and 01005s—and the advent of the 03015s.

Real Time with… SMTAI: Alpha's Strategies to Ensure Reliability of Assemblies

I-Connect007’s Judy Warner and Robert Wallace, regional marketing manager and channel partner manager for the Americas for Alpha Assembly Solutions, discuss how Alpha helps ensure reliability of their customers’ assemblies by providing soldering material set combinations that had been fully tested together for the J-STD-004B.

Real Time with… SMTAI: Metcal Updates Scavenging with the Scarab

Paul Wood, applications manager at Metcal, discusses with I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy how their standalone, contactless Scarab site cleaning system is helping manufacturers optimize their pad cleaning process.

Real Time with... SMTAI: AIM’s Tim O'Neill on Soldering Challenges and Innovation

Tim O’Neill, technical marketing manager for AIM Solder, speaks with I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy about the biggest problems related to solder paste printing in a typical manufacturing process—and how their M8 no-clean solder paste is helping address these issues.

Real Time with... SMTAI: KYZEN Pushes Cleaning Data to the Cloud

At the recent SMTA International exhibition, Tom Forsythe, executive vice president of Kyzen, discusses with I-Connect007’s Andy Shaughnessy their latest system that helps customers have a better handle on their cleaning process.

Mitigation of Pure Tin Risk by Tin-Lead SMT Reflow – Results of an Industry Round-Robin

The risk associated with whisker growth from pure tin solderable terminations is fully mitigated when all of the pure tin is dissolved into tin-lead solder during SMT reflow. This article details a round robin study that has been performed by IPC Task group 8-81f, to guide high-reliability end-users on the applicability and limitations of this mitigation strategy.

Saline Lectronics Invests in the Millennial Generation

You're heard all the knocks against millennials: they're flaky job-hoppers and they're tough to motivate. But Saline Lectronics has a larger presence of these younger employees, and they find quite a few advantages to hiring staff who are far from retirement age. Saline's Jason Sciberra explains how he manages and motivates these young people.

IPC Certification Program's 'Space Hardware Addendums' Training and Certification

In this article, Sharon Montana-Beard of Blackfox discusses the IPC Certification Program's Space Hardware Addendums training and certification, the topics covered in the training course, and the benefits of the program.

Ionics EMS Talks Industry 4.0, Mil/Aero Opportunities, and Supply Chain

In an interview with SMT Magazine, Dr. Jay Sabido, president and COO of Ionics EMS Inc., discusses a wide range of topics, including Industry 4.0, automation, and the challenges in the military and aerospace industry, including lead-free, counterfeit components, and traceability.

IPC-1782 Standard for Traceability Supporting Counterfeit Components

Traceability has grown from being a specialized need for certain safety critical segments of the industry, to now being a recognized value-add tool for the industry as a whole. This article discusses the IPC-1782 project, which aims to create a single flexible data structure that can be adopted for all levels of traceability that are required across the industry.

Recycling Substrates and Components in Mil/Aero Assemblies: Secure Metals Recovery

In this article, Mitch Holtzer of Alpha Assembly Solutions writes about reworking defective military and aerospace electronics assemblies, and recovering the value of the substrate and components without compromising the top secret design of the circuit.

Sensible Design: Conformal Coatings - Beware the Boards that ‘Bare’ All!

This month, Phil Kinner departs from his usual format of providing five essential facts about conformal coatings. Instead, he provides an account of a customer’s problem—no company names mentioned, of course—that brought into question the adhesion performance of a coating that they had been using successfully for some time.

The Theory Behind Tin Whisker Phenomena, Part 4

In this fourth installment of the series on the theory behind tin whiskers, Dr. Jennie S. Hwang continues on her discussion of the likely key processes engaged in tin whisker growth—lattice vs. grain boundary diffusion, and reaction and dynamic of intermetallic compounds.

Asteelflash on Mil/Aero Challenges, ITAR, and Opportunities

In an interview with SMT Magazine, Albert Yanez, corporate executive VP and president of Asteelflash, Americas, discusses the challenges in the military and aerospace industries, ITAR compliance, and the opportunities in these sectors.

The Blackfox Advanced Manufacturing Program for Military Veterans

You might be wondering why you should hire a military veteran, especially if your company has nothing to do with the military. But hiring veterans can bring a wealth of benefits, and this article highlights them. It also focuses on the Blackfox Veteran’s Training Program, the first program of its kind to provide veterans with little to no industry experience with the skills to grow their careers in the electronic assembly industry.

How to Specify a Custom Machine

Let’s say you have an unusual product configuration, a unique space requirement, an unorthodox handling system, or an application totally unrelated to the PCB or SMT assembly business, and you can’t find a standard machine provider that can handle your requirements. What then? This article highlights key points to consider when going the custom machine way for your project.

Is Your Electronics Manufacturing Factory 'Smart'?

Despite the amount of content being produced around big data, Industry 4.0, digital manufacturing, mass customization and various other subjects, a large number of electronics manufacturing companies still don't fully understand this question. This article looks to provide guidance on how you can assess your manufacturing facility without investing huge amounts of time and money upfront.

Transline Technology is Bullish on Design Engineers

At the International Microwave Symposium, I met with Chris Savalia, vice president and co-owner of Transline Technology. We discussed the California-based fabricator’s philosophy, the challenges of the RF and microwave markets, and the need to engage with young design engineers now.

Happy’s Essential Skills: Computer-Aided-Manufacturing, Part 1—Automation Protocols

I have addressed automation planning previously in this series, so I hope by now you realize the difference between ‘automation’ and ‘mechanization.’ In printed circuit fabrication and assembly, most of what is advertised is mechanization. But when you get to assembly test, then you begin to see true automated solutions.

Being More than a Manufacturer’s Rep

Matt Bonweg, process support specialist at manufacturers' rep firm Murray Percival Company, speaks with I-Connect007's Patty Goldman during the recent SMTA Ohio Expo about the company's history and philosophy, as well as their strategies for success in this industry.

Naprotek: Building a Successful EMS in Silicon Valley with a Woman's Touch

I-Connect007's Judy Warner recently visited Naprotek Inc., an EMS provider in the heart of Silicon Valley. She speaks with CEO Najat Badriyeh and two of her team members – VP of Marketing Liz Davidson, and Director of Business Development Mike Brown – about their company and their plans for the future.

Silicon Valley SMTA Chapter President Kevin McClay on Evolution and Current Status of SMTA

Kevin McClay, president of Silicon Valley SMTA Chapter, speaks with I-Connect007’s Judy Warner on the activities of the SMTA in the Valley, and the challenge of attracting young talent to join the manufacturing engineering industry.

Digital X-Ray—For More Than Inspection

At the recent SMTA Ohio Expo, Sheri Martin, sales manager at YXLON, spoke with I-Connect007's Patty Goldman about her company, their digital X-ray system, and the value of joining such trade events, and the benefits of using X-ray when it comes to failure analysis.

Geek-A-Palooza: 'Who Says Doing Business Can't Be Fun?'

Geek-a-Palooza, now in its fourth year, is the new kind of business event that combines networking with fun. With a relaxed environment approach, the event is catching on and continues to grow. Dan Beaulieu catches up with Tara Dunn about the upcoming Boston and Minneapolis events…and beyond.

Real Time with NEPCON South China: Mentor Graphics Discusses Control on the Shop Floor

Ofer Lavi Ben David, director of shop floor manufacturing solutions at Mentor Graphics Valor Division, talks with I-Connect007’s Stephen Las Marias about how the smart factory should look, their Open Manufacturing Language, and their solution to provide end-to-end visibility and control in the shop floor.

SMTA Reaching Out to Locals and Students

Tanya Martin, executive director of the SMTA, speaks with I-Connect007's Patty Goldman at the recent SMTA-Ohio expo about local one-day expos that are spread across the country throughout the year, and the increasing interest in student chapters on campuses.

Real Time with NEPCON South China: BTU Talks Voiding in Automotive Electronics, Industry 4.0 Strategies

At NEPCON South China 2016, Bob Bouchard of BTU International Inc. discusses with I-Connect007’s Stephen Las Marias the challenges and opportunities in the China market, how BTU is helping address voiding issues in automotive electronics assemblies, and their Industry 4.0 strategies.

Real Time with NEPCON South China: WKK on Automation, China Outlook, Challenges and Opportunities

Victor J.S. Chang, director and general manager of WKK Distribution Ltd, discusses with I-Connect007's Stephen Las Marias the increasing automation trend in the region; the efforts of the Chinese government to support the growth of advanced manufacturing; and the latest initiatives at WKK.

Real Time with NEPCON South China: Rehm Thermal Systems Highlights Industry 4.0 Benefits

In Shenzhen, China, Ralf Wagenfuehr, plant manager for Rehm Thermal Systems, speaks with I-Connect007’s Stephen Las Marias about Industry 4.0 and the benefits of this automation trend.

Real Time with NEPCON South China: P. Kay Metal Discusses New Markets for MS2

James Goyne, the newly appointed global business development director at P. Kay Metal Inc., speaks with I-Connect007's Stephen Las Marias about what he aims to achieve in his new role, as well as the new markets and opportunities for their MS2 solder dross eliminator.
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