PCB Manufacturing, Assembly & Test White Papers
How to Keep Your Competitive Edge In Manufacturing’s High Growth Automotive Electronics
Valor MSS suite of solutions for electronics manufacturing has direct application for improving the competitive posture of manufactures of automotive systems. This white paper will illustrate a few of the unique advantages provided by the Valor MSS suite for this important segment of the electronics industry. Tight money and severe liability requirements make competition tough for OEMs as well as their EMS and ODM counterparts in the market of automotive electronics manufacturing. Manufacturers with the technological infrastructure to create low-cost, integrated traceability solutions and lean process controls will succeed, while those with heavy overhead burdens and sluggish enterprise resources will retreat or fail. Wise technology choices today make it easy and affordable to comply with liability requirements. This white paper defines what it takes to win in this up-coming lucrative ‘do-or-die’ market.
How do we get 'Intelligence' into the Business of Electronics Manufacturing?
Business Intelligence (BI) is a current hot topic among managers at all levels in electronics manufacturing. Intelligence in business — sounds like a 'must have'; who wouldn't want it? And it's never been easier to add. Great visualization tools like dashboards, dials, gauges and pie charts are common place. However, it is crucial to ask the question "visualization of what"? Otherwise, BI can become just another view of raw data. Effective Business Intelligence must be based on reporting 'metrics that matter' and employ specific 'domain knowledge' to drive the right improvement actions optimized for our industry. In addition, Business Intelligence, correctly adapted, can satisfy the increasing market demands for traceability, reporting and proof of compliance. In this paper we will look at the opportunities for Valor MSS Business Intelligence from Mentor Graphics , to put 'intelligence' into the hands of managers and knowledge workers, and to add value electronics manufacturing .
Benefits of Traceability Go Beyond Compliance
Compliance is a critical factor in manufacturing operations. In this paper we will look at compliance from a traceability perspective and illustrate several ways that total traceability also delivers benefits to the operation beyond compliance to customer requirements and regulatory standards. Demonstration of compliance to internal or external standards helps manufacturers grow their business considering that work is only placed into manufacturing centers that can demonstrate they have attained the appropriate compliance certificates or approvals. Today compliance requirements extend to all quality sensitive markets for electronics goods such as military, medical, automotive, aerospace, telecommunications, and industrial controls. Even lower-priced consumer goods like handsets, toys, games, and many others, require safety and environmental compliance. Manufacturers who are not able to demonstrate this compliance simply do not win business in these markets. For many markets, compliance includes providing total traceability information about every product that has been manufactured.
Reducing Costs and Time to Market with Design-Through-Manufacturing Support
When considering electronic product development we often think of design and manufacturing as two separate processes, with some interdependencies. But we seldom think of the processes as a continuum and rarely as a single process with a feedback loop. But the latter is how we should think about development if we are striving to achieve the most competitive product, to market quickly, at target volumes, and reduced costs.
Cracking the 'WIP Effect' for Maximum Material Performance
The number one cause of down-time on SMT lines is related to material, as either a shortage or a logistical misstep that fails to place the right quantity of the right material at the right location at the right time. From a business perspective, the downtime caused by material problems is often the largest unplanned cost in the manufacturing operation. This paper will review many factors that contribute to the fundamental issue behind the chaos of material related downtime: inventory inaccuracy, and the steps needed to resolve this crucial problem.
SMT Data Preparation, Load Balancing, and Schedule Performance
Our factories today are picking up steam. As a result, companies are looking for ways to improve performance-to-schedule. The rate of on-time delivery coupled with measurement of actual unit cost compared to planned unit cost, are critical Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for the success and profitability of the manufacturing operation. This paper addresses several critical factors in achieving on time delivery and unit cost targets. It all starts with better planning.
Fundamental Challenges of Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Assembly and Test
This White Paper provides a description of the PCB manufacturing process along with the challenges facing today's electronics manufacturers with respect to the Manufacturing System Solutions (MSS) portfolio of the Valor Division of Mentor Graphics. The scope here is the process of taking the bare PCB and adding the various components to it to create an operational PCB.
Why Printed Circuit Board Design Matters to the Executive: How PCBs Are a Strategic Asset for Cost Reduction and Faster Time-to-Market
In today's competitive market place, companies must find new ways to differentiate their products. In response, many companies are turning to electronics to enable new innovative features. As a result, electronics have become even more critical to the product development process. In fact, electronics have become so important, research shows that a focus on the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design process offers a strategic advantage with opportunities to improve time to market, lower product cost, and provide further product differentiation. This report offers managerial guidance for proven methods to accomplish these strategic objectives.