Myopia
Myopia
I’ve just returned from the Apex show, and in case you didn’t know, Mentor has acquired Valor Computerized Systems. It was great meeting the people at the show from Valor and learning about their products and market niche. While exploring their market niche, it struck me how myopic many of us are about our own market segment, niche, or whatever.
Now, I know the procedures and in general, I know how the machines work in the post-PCB layout world, but moving about the show floor, talking to vendors, and attending “best product” awards ceremonies put that vague knowledge in a different perspective. (TWO of those awards going to Valor products!)
Take PCB cleaning, for example. I was aware of some of the details of board cleaning, but was rather impressed when I heard that one company’s machine cleaned “21 different chemicals used in the soldering process.” Indeed, these industry-niche companies face challenges much deeper than it appears to even interested observers who are a step or two removed from the details. Just as the PCB world is meeting challenges of extremely high speed signal integrity, low power necessities, and the havoc that can be wreaked with inattention to these details, the manufacturing world is deep into details of solder whiskers, thorough board cleaning, and finding lead-free solutions.
Mentor has actually been moving in this direction for some time, but our strategy is to expand that myopic view to consider…and intelligently collaborate throughout the product development and manufacturing process. It’s exciting to see the strategy evolve.
Preparing RecommendationsAbout Mark Forbes
Mark has worked in the electronics industry for more than thirty years, beginning while in college. The first 8 years of his career was spent in R&D, where he received his first patent for a remote communications system for reading electricity meters. During that time he also worked on the weapons management system for the F-16 fighter. He then moved into product marketing, eventually leading a team of 6 product managers. For two years, he shifted gears and was editor-in-chief of a computing industry trade magazine. The 16 years prior to joining Mentor Graphics Mark spent as a consultant, working for Microsoft, Intel, Sharp, HP, and other industry-leading companies. Mark’s career ranges from laying PC board with red and blue tape to defining five-year product plans.
Mark earned a BSEE degree from Bradley University in Peoria, IL, and did MBA work at the University of Santa Clara. Mark has written five books, including three university-level textbooks, more than 115 technical and business articles, and has been issued two patents.
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